Scoundrel or Saint?
by animalwriter
Summary: Is suspicious activity at Hogwarts threatening Severus and Dinah's peaceful life? And right after Rita Skeeter publishes an awful book? Features SS/OC from "The Serpents' Kiss" and strong presence of SB/OC and OC students. Rated M for mature love scenes.
1. The Letter

**A/N: Welcome everyone! And, for those of you that have read "The Serpents' Kiss", welcome back! This story takes place between epilogues 8 and 9 of "The Serpents' Kiss" and, as such, is a sort of a "sequel", though some of it is spoiled in epilogue 9, but hopefully not too much. And you know everything turns out okay, but I'm not trying to hide that, LOL … I'm just hoping you'll all read and enjoy this story anyway XD**

**If you haven't read "The Serpents' Kiss", I would recommend it, but if not, the following tale and summary contains spoilers for it, just so you know. Basically, Severus Snape has survived the wizarding war and is now married to Muggle Studies professor, Dinah Snape (formerly Dinah Samson), and they have two children. Everything is peaceful right now, but all that might change and they have an adventurous year ahead! This story also features two student OC's introduced in "The Serpents' Kiss", Ravenclaw Mae Yates and Slytherin Andrew Speasy, and Sirius Black (also a survivor through a mysterious "rebirth magic" that went into effect upon Voldemort's defeat) and his wife, OC Lucy Ketteridge from CommanderValeria's stories "Don't Leave Me" and "Carry On", which I also recommend you read and can be accessed through my favorite stories on my profile.**

**I hope to update this story weekly :)**

**And, as some of you old readers may be happy to know, I'm fixing some "oddities" from my previous story in this one. Instead of having Severus's POV and M-Scenes in two separate, supplementary tales, I am including them all in the main story. So, yes, this story is rated M and will have some mature love scenes in various chapters, but with warnings in case you wish to skip or skim them. Also, and probably the nicest thing (for me, lol) is that I am officially dispensing with the one-word chapter titles thing! YAY! That got a little ridiculous after awhile, LOL.**

**Enjoy, and please leave a review! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER ONE<p>

The Letter

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><p>"Dinah?"<p>

"Yes, Minerva?" Professor Dinah Snape looked up from the pile of surveys on her desk to where the Headmistress was standing, having just finished knocking on the doorframe of the open entrance to her office. Minerva McGonagall did not look her usual self, although her appearance was as normal in her stately green robes and large-rimmed, pointed hat. Her stern but kind face, however, was set in an odd little frown, as though something was disturbing her.

"Severus is not back yet, is he?" The old woman's voice, also, was slightly apprehensive.

"No, though he's due back this evening," Dinah agreed of her husband, who had been attending an Auror conference abroad as Hogwarts's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, after having published a series of new spells that were a current hot topic in the wizarding world. He had, of course, not wanted to go, but had had little choice in the matter. The potions conferences were much more agreeable to him. Dinah wouldn't be surprised if he stopped inventing spells after this ordeal.

"I see." Whatever was bothering Minerva, she decided to not get to it right away, and instead shifted the subject a bit, "The students are quite thrilled to be able to put off lessons with him for a week, or so it seems," she managed a slight, amused smile.

"I'm sure," Dinah mirrored her expression. The students in her classes had been quite careful not to say anything very _obvious _to that effect in front of her, for fear of losing points, but it was clear to all that that was the general consensus. In sharp contrast, however, were the two much smaller children who were currently under Sirius's care, who had for the past week continually demanded to know when Daddy would be back. Apparently, according to Maylene at least, Dinah was boring, having been bogged down with these surveys as of late.

Minerva was now tapping her foot on the ground, her gaze shifting around the room, and for the first time Dinah noticed that she was clutching an envelope in her left hand, which was nearly concealed by her robes.

"Is something wrong?" Dinah could no longer contain the question.

She sighed, meeting her gaze. "Yes and no. Well, maybe but perhaps not."

"Indeed?" Dinah raised an eyebrow. The gesture was now second-nature to her, but Minerva _still _found it amusing.

There was little amusement in the Headmistress's gaze right now, though, as she decidedly marched forward and slid the envelope across Dinah's desk to her. "I received a suspicious letter this morning. Granted, Hogwarts gets many of these letters over the course of the year, most of which are ignored as they cannot really be taken seriously, but this one worries me. There are some indirect jibes at many of our professors including yourself and Lucy. Severus is mentioned by name."

Dinah felt her eyes widen and for the first time felt a little worried. She fingered the envelope but didn't move to open it just yet. "Mentioned how?" she had to ask.

"Threatened," Minerva said flatly, apparently no longer beating around the bush.

"Threatened!" Dinah frowned down at the letter in front of her, sliding it a little closer but still not opening it, her heartbeat quickening, "But you said most of these letters are not to be taken seriously."

"Most of them. The language and wording of this one, as well as the timing, puts me in a different mindset," Minerva said with an apologetic look. Timing, of course, referring to the fact that over the summer that awful Rita Skeeter had _finally _managed to get her _Snape: Scoundrel or Saint? _book published. It had caused quite a stir and most of the information had been falsehoods. It spun ridiculous tales all the way from Severus's birth through his Death Eater days, participation in the wizarding war against Voldemort, and the 'mysterious circumstances' during Dinah's first year here, involving Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Tommy. And of course, plenty of snide remarks had been directed at their current life together. It even tried to slander their children. Needless to say both Dinah and Severus had been furious and had done everything they could to try and expose the book's falsehoods. Thankfully, after many interviews and support from friends and other Hogwarts professors, most people realized what was true in reality and what was not. But there were probably still others…

Dinah took a deep breath and finally opened the letter, unfolding it and reading silently:

_Dear Headmistress McGonagall;_

_It grieves me to say that I am _extremely _disappointed in the direction that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has taken in the days since the last war. Your students are floundering and the education they receive is mediocre at best. The 'fair-minded' attitude that is present at the school is a joke and produces nothing but weak, powerless young witches and wizards who would be incapable of defending themselves were another war to arise, as it most certainly will, and perhaps sooner than you think. You should be ashamed to promote the school as it is now. _

_Sorting has become a joke, as students are placed into houses with only half the traits of the house they are sorted into, at best. Slytherin, specifically, seems to have been stuffed full of students which would be much better placed into one of the other houses, due to their blood statuses and inability to fit into the correct Slytherin mentality. Unnecessary classes such as Wizarding Literature poison our students' minds with useless rubbish. Ridiculous extra-curricular game night requirements take time from students' studies and encourage the mingling of completely incompatible individuals. Your graduates will be entirely uncompetitive in the wizarding world if you continue to operate as you do. It is as though, in contrast to the Dark Lord's noble views of uniting the school under the house of Salazar Slytherin, you have instead named the school in honor of that ridiculous Helga Hufflepuff._

_Additionally, the presence of the traitor Severus Snape, inexplicably wed to 'Helga Hufflepuff Incarnate', and in a horrifying heel-face-turn still teaching at a school which now exemplifies values he should have nothing but disdain for, I find utterly abominable. Severus Snape should have been sacked years ago, especially considering his unstable history that we have all come to learn of this summer, thanks to Miss Skeeter's excellent, telling book. He should be on his guard. He should not be teaching and should be removed from his position as soon as possible, forcibly if necessary. A force I myself would not hesitate to use._

_I highly suggest that he, you, and all faculty and students keep a very close eye on your surroundings throughout the upcoming year. Things might happen. Terrible things. This is a fair warning. Hogwarts _must _suffer the repercussions of its recent actions. I am now wholeheartedly ashamed to have graduated from this school._

_A new Dark Lord is on the horizon and he shall arise within the year._

_Respectfully Yours,_

_Anonymous_

"Traitor? Anonymous? New Dark Lord? 'Correct' Slytherin mentality?" Dinah sputtered, unable to form a complete sentence. "Who – what – wrote this?"

"Now _that _is exactly what I wish I knew," Minerva admitted, sighing and settling herself in the chair across from Dinah, probably tired from having been standing for so long.

"Doesn't he - or she – understand?" Dinah murmured, "The reason the house differences are less evident is _because _they are exposed to each other more. The only reason they were so different before is because they were kept so separate… it wasn't a natural state. This is a complete instance of nurture, not nature. And Severus… if they call him a traitor they must be referring to the Death Eaters? Is this person a Death Eater? And there is no 'correct' Slytherin mentality!" she fumed, glaring down at the abominable piece of unfolded parchment in front of her.

"I'm thinking of enhancing security measures at Hogwarts," Minerva said, not answering any of Dinah's questions. "This is probably just some madman trying to avenge Voldemort's defeat. We've had these sorts of letters before. But none so long, detailed, articulate, and… specific," she finished quietly. "I had hoped Severus would be back to see this, but you shall have to show him later."

"I will. I'll show him," Dinah chewed on her lip, replacing the letter in its envelope. "Perhaps he can analyze it and attempt to see who wrote it. Apparently a Hogwarts graduate, but there are thousands of those. And almost certainly a Death Eater or of that mentality, given the consistent use of the term 'Dark Lord'." She sighed and spoke softly, "Tommy does not need to be avenged. He doesn't care about that anymore…"

"Yes, I know," Minerva said gently. "Speaking of Tommy's, however, your office hours are nearly over and you should be collecting your children for lunch, should you not?"

"Yes, of course," she said, distracted, and then looked up at Minerva, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and chest, "Do you think Severus – or any of us – are actually in any real danger?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope not. For now all we can do is keep our eyes open, try to figure out who wrote this, and go from there."

"Yes, I suppose. Let me know if you find out anything more. I assume we're keeping everything under wraps right now, as far as the student body is concerned?"

"Yes, for now," Minerva stood and offered her an attempt at a reassuring smile, although the lines of concern still creased her forehead, "Try not to worry too much. I'm sure this will all get sorted out in due time."

"Thank you. I hope so," Dinah agreed, bidding the Headmistress farewell and standing up to collect her things. She took her bag of survey materials with her and locked up her office, travelling the short distance down the halls to Lucy and Sirius's rooms, where the latter was settled in for a break with the children. She knocked on the door and awaited an answer.

"Coming!" Sirius called. When the door opened he had four-month-old Adara in his arms, feeding her a bottle. In the background Owen was climbing up in a chair to reach a 'secret cookie' for Maylene who was standing close by. In contrast, Tommy was concentrating on drawing something on his piece of paper.

Altair, Lucy and Sirius's red-headed youngest son, was standing close to his father's robes. "Mummum?"

Sirius maneuvered a little bit so that he could reach down and ruffle his son's hair, "Not yet. Soon. Come to pick up the kids?" he asked Dinah, "Or were you having lunch with us?"

"Let's have lunch," Dinah said, hoping to have some company to mull this over with. They often had lunch together but both Sirius and Lucy knew she was busy with the surveys as of late. She was working on a version to distribute throughout Britain, thus reaching a wider sample size. It would be her biggest endeavor yet in the Muggle-born surveys department. "Oh, Maylene, you do _not _need that cookie! Stop asking Owen to feed you. You'll ruin your lunch!" she called to her four-and-a-half year old daughter, who was positively drooling as Owen finally acquired the cookie jar.

"But May's hungry," Owen insisted.

Dinah chuckled. Poor Owen. Waited on May hand and foot sometimes. Granted, he sort of liked doing that. He was such a helpful little boy. Dinah hesitated to label him a Hufflepuff just yet, but… "May is _always _hungry, Owen. Just like me. But she can eat lunch like everybody else and have a cookie afterwards."

"Aww," May groaned, "Daddy would let me have the cookie."

"Daddy's not here, and the secret cookie incident only happened twice," Dinah chided. Well, as far as she knew Severus had only given their daughter a cookie on the sly twice, calling it a "secret cookie" and asking Maylene not to tell about it, which she had done anyway, being only two years old at the time. At any rate, it was now a long-standing family joke. Although deep down Dinah was fairly certain it had happened _more _than twice by now, and she was sure to Tommy as well. But their more subdued son was better at keeping secrets.

She smiled at her husband's behavior. For a man who supposedly hated most children he certainly spoiled theirs rotten. Then she recalled the letter that was still tucked into her bag and sighed. Hopefully he was safe. Although the person had sounded like they had it in for Hogwarts and would do any kind of… damage here and not abroad. But she wanted to get the letter to him so that he could look at it.

Maylene grumbled a bit but let Owen put the cookie jar away as they all gathered around the table to see what the house elves had prepared for lunch. Dinah leaned over Tommy's drawing and ruffled his hair, "Is that the Whomping Willow?"

"Uh huh," her son, who was nearly three and had his father's nose, nodded, "Uncle Sirius says hole there," he pointed to a little hole he'd drawn in the trunk, "But don't go in."

"Trying to redeem yourself, huh?" Dinah teased, winking at Sirius.

"Always," Lucy said, coming in and hefting Altair onto one hip and waving her wand to tuck a napkin into Owen's collar with the other, "Heard from Severus?" she asked, thoroughly kissing her husband. Even with three children the two of them seemed to spend a good deal of time snogging.

Dinah shook her head, feeling a little apprehensive again as she sat down between her children , eyeing the soup, salad, and sandwiches that had appeared before them, "Not since his last owl yesterday morning, saying he'd be back tonight. Since I haven't heard otherwise, I'm sure that still stands."

"Is there any reason it wouldn't?" Sirius asked, settling his daughter in her bassinet and sitting at the table. Lucy portioned out some salad and a sandwich for Owen before cutting up a sandwich for Altair and picking some cut veggies out of her salad for him as well.

"I don't think so," she shook her head again as she got her own children's meals settled, "Unless…." She sighed, looking up to meet her two friends' eyes. She might as well just out with it. "Minerva came into my office hours just now and showed me this letter that she received from an anonymous person," she dug into her bag to extract the letter, and was just handing it across to Lucy when Maylene grabbed for it.

"A letter! Can I read it?"

"No, Maylene, this is a letter for grown-ups," Dinah said, probably making herself more boring in her daughter's eyes, but they didn't need the children to deal with this. They were _far _too young, and luckily also young enough that they didn't follow adult conversations very well. But Maylene was an excellent reader for her age, and so seeing the letter was out. She handed the envelope to her friend.

"I can read!" Owen announced, but didn't grab for the letter.

"Yes, you can," Lucy nodded, "but you're not reading this." She quickly scanned the letter before handing it to Sirius over Altair's head. "So…"

"Minerva thinks we should be concerned about this?" asked Sirius, "We get letters like this all the time…"

"The detail and specificity concerns her," Dinah admitted. "To the point where she's considering enhancing security measures around the school."

Lucy frowned, "She might bring Aurors in you mean?"

"Harry? Uncle Ron?" Owen asked, catching the word Auror and connecting it to the two men.

Dinah had to chuckle at that, "I certainly hope not or Severus will have a conniption. I assumed she meant shields and protective enchantments, at least to start."

"That seems like the more sensible thing to do," Sirius nodded, "at least to start."


	2. Severus's Return

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you so much to CommanderValeria, brontefan, and Aveira Eurydice Lachrimae for your reviews! I know last chapter was a big teaser without Severus, but he's back in this one for some shameless fluff! :D Actually, there is a Mature love scene in this chapter, so, if you want to skip or skim it, it starts at around the line "They did not change into their nighttime robes." And it ends at Dinah's quote about having missed him. Enjoy! :D**

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><p>CHAPTER TWO<p>

Severus's Return

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><p>Although she knew she should probably not be worried too much, Dinah was still quite anxious that evening as she stood on the Hogwarts steps with Maylene and Tommy to await Severus's return. It was a pretty warm evening for the beginning of September, and so seemed like a good time to go outside instead of staying in anyway. And the children entertained themselves by playing gobstones while Dinah's gaze scanned the grounds.<p>

She felt immense relief when the dark silhouette of her husband came into view. As soon as he saw them he smiled and hurried forward to wrap his arms around her. Dinah closed her eyes for a moment, feeling secure in his warmth as he sighed and spoke; "Thank goodness that's over. I never intend to invent another spell again."

She laughed, lifting her head to meet his kiss, "I thought you might say that."

Their quiet affection was interrupted by shrieks of, "Daddy!" from the children, hurrying over to greet him.

"May Eileen Snape," Severus smiled, lifting their daughter up as she arrived first by a long shot, "How have you been?"

"Mummy's boring!" May announced.

"Oh, is that so?" he laughed, then raised an eyebrow at Dinah.

She blushed and lifted up Tommy who was tugging on her robes to get up higher, "I've been busy, I admit. But I don't think I'm _that _boring."

"Can I make some potions?" May asked, "Will you show me a new one? Please?"

"A little bit later, maybe, if you're good," he promised, kissing the top of her head and putting her down so that he could take Tommy who had been reaching his arms out for him, "And Thomas Edward as well. Have you been annoying your sister?" That was, of course, a joke, because Maylene was always the instigator in any argument.

"No," Tommy shook his head, snuggling in. It was approaching his bedtime and he had gotten adorably sleepy.

"Good," Severus smiled, nothing but affection in his gaze for their children. Their life was so peaceful and normal. Dinah hated to think of anything interrupting it again. "How are your surveys?" he asked her.

"Nearly ready for distribution, I'm happy to say," she said, offering Maylene her hand and levitating the gobstones set – Severus's mother's from his childhood – to follow them as they headed into the castle and down the halls toward the dungeons, "I should be finished within the week and then hopefully I won't be boring anymore."

"I hope you'll consent not to be boring tonight," he murmured, and there was no mistaking his tone. It had been about a week since he'd left. They were both very, very ready to 'not be boring' together again.

"Oh, I think I'm bored of being boring," she smiled, moving closer so that they were walking with their shoulders brushing against each other. His anticipatory smile made her squirm a little, but they needed to get the children in bed first and give them enough time to get to sleep… which also gave her enough time to present the letter to Severus.

As luck would have it, the children both went down very easy tonight. It was getting late and they were relieved to have their father back. It looked like they were both pretty much passed out when Dinah and Severus closed Tommy's bedroom door, leaving it open a crack for light, and listened at Maylene's to make sure she wasn't up wandering around. The silence indicated that she was not.

"I need to talk to you about something," Dinah told her husband, keeping her tone hushed.

He registered the seriousness of her tone instantly, "Is something wrong?"

"Well, no. Not really. At least not yet. I don't think." Her comments were as mixed up as Minerva's, and they earned her the same reaction she herself had given the headmistress as Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "Why don't we go have a seat and talk about this?" she suggested.

Wordlessly, he walked with her away from the children's rooms and toward their Slytherin-green couch. The dungeons had truly transformed since Dinah had first moved into them a little over five years ago. They had been magically extended twice to make room for their growing family, first adding Maylene's room and then Tommy's. The living area had swelled to accommodate more people and the dining area, also, had been expanded and a small kitchenette added so that Dinah could make some of the children's favorite Muggle dishes when they requested them. Their green couch had been moved against the far right wall upon entering the dungeons, and Severus's potions materials had been relegated to a special room, off limits to the children without explicit permission. A permission which was, understandably, not often given.

"What's going on?" Severus asked when they had comfortably settled.

"Minerva received a threatening letter, which she handed off to me," Dinah dug into her robe pockets where she had now placed the letter, withdrawing it and handing it to him. "You are mentioned by name."

He frowned and took the letter, withdrawing it from its envelope and reading. His expression did not change much as he read, but Dinah could read him perfectly and noticed the subtle widening of his gaze, deepening of his frown, and the cautious concern that entered his eyes. When he had finished he folded it back up and turned to her, "Minerva thinks we should be concerned about this?"

"Possibly," she nodded, "She doesn't like that it's so direct, and that it mentions you specifically. The use of 'Dark Lord' and calling you a traitor. Those things all suggest a Death Eater or at least someone who _thinks _they're a Death Eater. Even if they aren't especially dangerous I just don't like the idea of some violent nut sneaking into Hogwarts."

"No. Nor do I," he agreed, "But… odds are that it's nothing."

"I suppose. But you needed to see it."

"Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious, as I'm sure you and Minerva will as well. Though it seems early to jump to any major conclusions, I agree that we should be cautious."

"You didn't notice anything… er… strange, or threatening while you were abroad, did you?" Dinah asked after a hesitation.

"You're worried." It wasn't a question.

"A little. I mean, that letter was _very _articulate and so specific and it singled _you _out. Probably because of Rita's recent book release, since you're a bit in the public eye now, but there it is."

He reached out to trace her cheek with his thumb, "Nothing happened. I spent much of my time hiding out in the hotel as you well know, only emerging to give my ridiculous speeches and then retreating back again. Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom were there," he grimaced, "Luckily I avoided any direct confrontation. Other than that, nothing of interest happened. It was a tame week. Please don't worry."

Dinah closed her eyes and leaned into his caress, tilting her head forward to touch his lips with her own, having so missed their softness, the warmth he emanated, his scent…

She had to adjust her position on the couch to lean in closer when his response intensified, his hand moving to the back of her neck to pull her head closer to him as his lips parted and his tongue lightly caressed hers, his other arm slipping about her waist. Dinah responded by wrapping her own arm about _his _waist, beneath the bat-like outer robes, and resting her other hand on his chest. When their lips finally separated she smiled, "We should take this to the bedroom."

"Indeed," he agreed, a smile touching his lips. He stood and took her hands, and they both made final glances in the direction of the children's rooms to make sure all was still quiet. It was, and so they headed together into the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind them and getting settled on the bed.

They did not change into their nighttime robes. It would be a wasted effort. Instead, they sat against the headboard and went back to where they were on the couch, kissing deeply and with fervor until their bodies began to respond with intensity. "Severus," Dinah whispered, speaking his name for the first time since his return, carefully unbuttoning his frock coat with one hand while stroking his hardness with the other.

"Dinah," her own name on his lips was as sweet as another gentle caress, his fingers tangling in her hair as his kiss continued to intensify, then moving down to her shoulders to part her robes and trail across her breasts, unhooking her bra in front and pushing it off of her, then traveling sensuously down her bare skin to grasp her waist and pull her closer.

She moved to straddle his lap, removing his coat in record time and moving next to his trousers as she adjusted herself and allowed him to slip her knickers off, bending her legs to get out of them easily. He began to stroke between her legs, guiding her to the brink as she made swift work of his trousers and pants. Humming with content, Dinah bent her lips to the warm, white skin of his neck, letting her tongue slip out to taste him as the dark tendrils of his silky hair tickled her face.

But soon impatience on both of their parts functioned to cut their foreplay to a close. Dinah needed little encouragement to be wet enough for him, and she could sense that if she stroked him too much he might respond prematurely. As soon as she had removed his remaining shirts and his bare chest was revealed to her she was ready, and slipped easily over his erection.

Their quiet moans mingled together as he thrust into her and she rocked against him to meet them, needing him as deep and as hard as possible in her. Her muscles were tight and desperate for this after a week of disuse, and thus they experienced his tantalizing thrusts with extreme intensity, crying out in ecstasy as he filled her up. It did not take long at all for them both to reach orgasm, blissful light and color flashing before her eyes as she indulged in this moment,

"Ah, Severus Snape how I've missed you," she murmured, unable to stop smiling as her head fell against his shoulder.

"Mmmm," was all he responded with as their breathing and tremors slowed, leaving them content and filled with so much relief to be united again after such a long absence.

Dinah's mind drifted back to the letter as they slipped beneath the covers and rested their heads on the pillows with exhaustion. Her arms tightened around his waist and she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder as she fought with a combination of sleepiness and worry. She had missed this warmth, this contact, and the love she felt for her husband was so unbelievably strong. Their life was perfect, and if…

"You're still concerned," he said quietly, that deep baritone voice filling her up as his fingers stroked up and down along her spine.

"A little," she admitted softly. "I just… I know it's probably nothing and you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, but I… I just can't imagine what I would do if anything were to happen to you."

"Dinah," he murmured, tilting her chin up to face him. His eyes were so warm and so full of love and affection it almost made her heart ache, "Nothing is going to happen to me, I assure you. I was born for _you_, Dinah. Consequently, I shall never leave you."

She felt so much warmth as a smile began to tug at her lips. Gently kissing him, she nodded, "I understand."

"Good," he replied, a smile of his own forming as he pulled her closer.

She sighed, content, as she returned her head to its original position on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she felt his head move to comfortably rest against hers, "Good night, my Severus."

His lips against her hair were still smiling as he replied, "Pleasant dreams, my Dinah."'


	3. Patronus Problems

**A/N: Thanks to last chapter's reviewers, brontefan and Amani Ishikawa! Just so everyone knows, please bear with me. I don't think this fic will be any more than 40 or 50 chapters, but the first 10 or so will be pretty expository before the action really starts to pick up. Enjoy! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THREE<p>

Patronus Problems

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><p>Severus wasn't sure whether to feel positively or negatively about the fact that he was back teaching the dunderheads again. The school had come full circle since Voldemort's defeat and the students who had been new that first peaceful (or mostly peaceful) year were now seventh years, preparing for their N.E.W.T.s. Of course, that did not mean that this group was better than any other group of seventh years he'd ever had to teach. And the looks on their faces indicated that they were <em>not <em>happy that their break from his class was over. Well, he'd just have to make the most of that. Eighteen-inch essays seemed like a good idea…

"Welcome," he put on a very carefully-practiced half smirk, half sneer, "to the beginning of your seventh year in my class. I trust you've all enjoyed your … _break_," he put a quiet, sinister emphasis on that word for effect. "However, that means that you will only have to work harder from this point forward." The groans that emanated throughout the room were most satisfying. "Also, anyone who complains will receive detention and ten points from the house in concern. Now, we will begin by practicing the Patronus charm, which you will need to master to pass your N.E.W.T.s. You learned about the nature of Patronuses in your sixth year but I am afraid that an academic knowledge of the spell, and a poor one at that judging from most of your performances, is not anywhere near enough to prepare you for the real world once you graduate. Consequently, do not expect me to go easy on any of you."

"That's nothing new," Severus's keen senses did not miss John Wortham whispering that little comment to Porter Lee where they sat in the far back of the room, probably so that they could hide whatever they were doing that had nothing to do with classwork.

"Ah, I see Mr. Wortham has chosen to demonstrate the detention and point loss that I mentioned a moment ago. Ten points from Gryffindor and a detention, Wortham. Now, does anyone _else _have anything to say? Very good," their uneasy silence was, again, most satisfying. "Now," he removed his wand from his robes and lifted it. "The explanation for the spell is quite simple, but that does not make it easy to perform. One must conjure a memory that is extremely pleasant to them, hold that thought, and recite the incantation.

Severus paused a moment and selected a happy memory at random. Breakfast this morning with Dinah and the children would do. "_Expecto Patronum_," he flicked his wand and the silver snake emerged from it, slithering in the air in front of the students. "You see, then, how the Patronus appears. It takes the shape of an animal that- yes, what do you want, Mr. Devlin?" he took a break from his explanation to address the Gryffindor boy whose hand had shot into the air.

"Miss Skeeter's book says that you never taught _anything _about Patronuses the first year you taught this class. She also said your Patronus used to be a doe but it changed to a snake to match the fact that you were a Death Eater."

Severus glared at the boy, and his floating Patronus took that moment to hiss in the same direction. Shameless, good-for-nothing Gryffindors. He scowled, "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your irrelevance and inaccuracy. I would like to remind the class that you raise your hands to ask questions, _not _to make comments. I don't care what you do in other classes. In this class your opinions are unimportant to me. Besides, I am fairly certain that _everyone _here has read that book, haven't they?" he glared out at the group to be met with uneasy nods and students shrinking back a little in their seats.

He nodded, "In that case, I hardly think it is _your _responsibility, Mr. Devlin, to summarize it for your classmates. That book is a farce and an abomination and less than one percent of it is true. And do _not _ask me which parts are and which parts aren't!" he shouted when a few students raised their hands. As expected, they lowered them upon his exclamation, proving that he had been right in what they were about to say.

"Now, Patronuses do _not _take a specific shape just to label someone as a Death Eater, either former or current. I know Miss Skeeter has her little theory that Death Eater Patronuses might be made up of a different magical essence than non-Death Eater Patronuses, but that is simply impossible. A Patronus is an embodiment of the caster's happiness. No more, no less. No actual Death Eater has been able to conjure one while of that mindset that I am aware of. The examples Miss Skeeter cited to contest that notion are also flawed. The Malfoys can now produce them but they are no longer Death Eaters, and Dolores Umbridge could produce one due to the influence of dark power, but neither was she actually a Death Eater. The _reason _I did not discuss Patronuses that year was that if I could show that I was able to produce one my cover as a Death Eater would have been questioned. Due to the fact that Death Eaters do not, as a general rule, produce Patronuses. Do I make myself clear?" Why was it that ever since he'd married Dinah his classes were less about him teaching and more about the students asking him stupid questions that he had to address?

There was some general nodding throughout the room. He saw no reason to even _try _to explain to them why his Patronus had changed from a doe to a snake. In the book, Skeeter had tried so hard to avoid the obvious answer, grudgingly citing it as a possibility but then having the gall to suggest that it was an elaborate ruse to 'trick' Dinah into thinking that was the reason while she was still nothing but a second choice, he was still devoted to Lily, and the Patronus had formed to label him a Death Eater for life. Needless to say that was the part that had infuriated himself and Dinah the most upon the book's publication. Second choice, indeed! Did that woman have _any idea _how much he loved his wife? Obviously not. And she didn't care either. Infernal bitch.

He sighed. There was little that could be done about the book's publication now except continue to fight the false statements at every opportunity. Right now, he had a class to teach. "Now," he summoned the snake – _Dinah's _snake – back into his wand and tucked the instrument away before glaring back out at the class, "I am looking for a volunteer to come up and attempt to perform the charm in front of your classmates. Anyone?"

Most of the students just shrunk further back in their seats, which he had expected, but one did not. He wasn't especially surprised at that either as his gaze drifted to the Ravenclaw girl in concern, whose hand had shot almost immediately into the air. He frowned. Mae Yates was behaving more and more like Granger every year; although Dinah would insist that the two were quite different from each other. Either way, no one else was going to volunteer so he might as well call on the student who would surely be talented enough to at least produce _something _on her first try. "Miss Yates."

Mae smiled and extracted herself from her seat, coming down to stand in the front of the classroom, facing him and waiting for instruction.

"Well, out with it!" he ordered, impatiently, "Your wand. A happy memory. _Expecto Patronum_. And face your classmates while doing so."

"Yes, Professor Snape," still smiling, she turned and faced the class, pulling out her slender, medium-length wand that looked to be made out of Aspen and clearly speaking, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Nothing happened.

Severus frowned. He would have expected at _least _a bit of light. Nearly everyone produced that much on their first try. "Again," he ordered. It must have been a fluke.

Mae was frowning as deeply as he was as she stared at her wand, but she nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

Again, nothing happened.

"What is this?" she demanded, shaking her wand a little before Severus could finish processing this odd occurrence. She turned an almost pleading look to him and demanded, "Professor Snape, why isn't it working?"

"I cannot say," he felt his lips twitch into a smirk as he regarded her. The girl should have been intelligent enough to realize that he knew no more than she did about what was going on. "Obviously you are not trying hard enough. Again. And focus."

"But I _have _been focusing," she murmured, staring at her wand again, and then looking up at her peers, all of whom were staring at her. She blushed, embarrassed, and Severus managed to feel bad for her. But he could _not _send her back yet until he was certain she was incapable, and he was not certain yet. Surely, if she tried again she could at least get some light to show up.

But after two more tries, she was still getting nothing at all. "Obviously, you are _not _focusing," he said to her. "If you were, you would have seen something by now. You _do _realize that you need to take this spell seriously, do you not?"

"I _was _taking it seriously!" she shouted, whirling on him, matching the look of his best glares.

"Five points from Ravenclaw for your outburst, Miss Yates. We'll discuss this after class. Now get back to your seat."

"You can't take points from me!" she was obviously not thinking straight in her rage.

His jaw set as he stared at her. "I believe I just did. Now, calm down and _return to your seat _before I take _more _points from you. As I said, we will discuss this after class."

Dejectedly, she stormed back off to her seat. Really, he wasn't treating her any differently than he would any other student. In fact, any other student would have lost a great deal more points. But she could not see that right now. He supposed he understood her fury, though. It baffled him as much as it did her. The brilliant Mae Yates unable to produce a Patronus… that was _not _expected.

"Well, then, I suppose an example is out," he snarled at the rest of them, "Remove your wands and start attempting the spell. I will walk around the room to guarantee you are performing properly. I highly doubt any of you will be able to produce anything close to a full Patronus, however."

The students did as told and began their attempts, and soon the room was full of echoes of '_Expecto Patronum_'. As expected as Severus wandered the room watching them, no one was able to produce a full Patronus just yet, although Porter Lee of all people got disturbingly close. Mae Yates continued to try, but unfortunately her improvement was nonexistent. In fact, she was the only student in the class who was unable to produce even a little bit of light. It actually made Severus a bit uneasy.

Eventually, he assigned those eighteen-inch essays on Patronus history and theory and dismissed the group of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Only Mae Yates hung around at the front of the room, hovering just a short distance from his desk until the remainder of the students disappeared. Then she sighed and offered him a sheepish, questioning expression.

"Well, Mae," he began, settling down into the desk of concern, "Would you like to discuss this rationally or do you intend to shout at me again and lose more points for yourself?"

She sighed again and shook her head, sitting across from him, "I'm sorry for shouting. And yes, I _would _like to discuss this rationally. Why can't I produce a Patronus, Professor Snape?"

"_Why _can't you produce a Patronus?" he frowned, steepling his fingers in front of him. He had been using the gesture more and more over the past few years, channeling the former headmaster, his good friend Albus Dumbledore. It was a comfortable gesture, and he could see why the older man had found it attractive. It made one feel exceptionally in control, "That _is _the question, isn't it?"

"You don't have an answer? Not even an idea?" the girl seemed desperate and he really couldn't blame her. This was likely the first time in her life that Mae had been the worst in class at something.

"I'm afraid the Patronus charm is highly subjective, Mae," he said, using her first name as he always did in private. After all, the girl and her boyfriend Andrew Speasy were actually quite close friends of himself and Dinah. She had even lent her name to their daughter. "Thus, you would be better able to come up with a reason than I would. But the most common problems are lack of an adequate happy memory, lack of focus, and lack of power. Since you have always proven to be a highly intelligent and powerful young witch I am guessing it is one of the former."

Mae sighed, "Thanks. You made it seem so easy, though. What was your happy memory?"

He frowned, "That is highly personal. Did I give you permission to ask me that?"

"Oh, come on!" she grinned a little, apparently no longer fearing point loss.

Severus sighed, "Breakfast with Dinah and the children."

"Something so simple?"

"It's all personal preference, Mae," he explained. "Sometimes the simplest memories are perfectly happy. Were you trying to make it more complicated than it needed to be?"

"I don't know," she sighed, shrugging. "I was thinking about some of my moments with Andrew and trying to pick the best one… but…"

"But?" he raised an eyebrow, intent on getting to the bottom of this Patronus problem if at all possible.

"Nothing," she shook her head, standing from the desk, apparently having decided against sharing the information. "It'll be fine; he's just been in a funny mood lately. I'm sure it'll pass. And that doesn't affect any of my old memories with him, right? Those are independent of how things are going with us right now?"

"I… could not tell you." He drew the line at offering relationship advice to the girl. Honestly, he was sure he would be bad at it. He had somehow managed to land a wonderful wife of his own but he had absolutely no confidence in his ability to assist others in their own relationships. His social skills, though greatly improved over the past few years, still left much to be desired anyway, he was sure.

"Sorry," she blushed, "Didn't mean to bombard you with my problems. I'll just keep practicing. I'm sure I'll sort it out."

"Mm," he agreed distractedly, "And don't forget about your eighteen-inch essay."

"How could I?" she laughed, and he managed a slight smile at her before she left the room.

Severus sighed and gathered up his things to head back to the dungeons. There was something just… inherently _wrong _about the fact that Mae Yates could not produce a Patronus and it was nagging at him. Perhaps Dinah would have some insight into the matter. He could only go home and find out.


	4. Family Life

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed since the last chapter was posted: brontefan, DeadlyDaringLove, corinna, MRSSPICY, and animechick247! This chapter is a bit longer for your enjoyment :) and we enter Mae Yates's perspective for the first time. Soon we'll get Lucy, Sirius, and Andrew Speasy's perspectives as well, and once we've set up everyone's POVs the action will start! Bear with me and enjoy :)**

**This chapter has an 'M' scene, beginning when Dinah teasingly says "I'm too tired now" and ending on the paragraph that starts with "Readjusting his position on the bed". It's my first attempt at writing a mature love scene from the male perspective, so, again, bear with me. Hopefully it turned out okay! :D**

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><p>CHAPTER FOUR<p>

Family Life

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><p>The problem with having a four-year-old and a two-year-old was that it was quite difficult to find a quiet, private time to talk anything over with your wife before nine o'clock. Severus had arrived in the dungeons only to be greeted with a 'starving' Maylene and a Tommy who had decided to take it upon himself to 'empty' the litter box, which translated to crawling around in it and making a mess worthy of a full bath before dinner. Postponing the meal until the bath was finished was, of course, out of the question as May was incapable of waiting for food without throwing a tantrum. So Severus had left Dinah to attend to the girl in the food department, where she had the most experience, while he attempted to clean the boy off, which was easier said than done but ultimately accomplished through a combination of intensive scrubbing and spell-casting.<p>

All in all, however, this was not really an unusual evening. It seemed there was always some unique incident to deal with every day, but he supposed that was part of the adventure of having children, which he was not – surprisingly – adverse to except when it got a little out of hand, or when he had lesson plans to create and thoughts about Mae Yates's Patronus issue nagging at him like today, which was, he feared, leaving him a little short with Dinah and the children.

There was really no time for anyone to call him out on it, though, as after dinner Dinah and Maylene had a long parselmouth discussion with the snake while Severus attempted to prevent the overly-inquisitive Tommy from sneaking into the potions room, or worse, returning to the litter box. But keeping a near-three-year old entertained was a monumentous task in and of itself.

Finally, eight o'clock arrived and at least the boy could be put down for bed. Severus tackled that with ease, and then left Tommy's bedroom only to be greeted with shouting from the direction of the bathroom hallway.

He sighed. It was that time of the day again, was it?

"May Eileen Snape!" he heard Dinah scold, "You are a mess and you are getting in that bathtub even if I have to Imperius you into it!"

"No! No! No!" May's response was predictable. Of course, Dinah would not use the Imperius curse on their daughter, but every night for the past few months this had been going on. It seemed that Maylene was going through a phase – Merlin, he hoped it was only a phase – during which she refused to take baths.

"Maylene, you put that squirting toy back this instant – No! If you squirt me one more time you are going to be grounded! Maylene! Put it down and get in the tub!"

"You can't make me!"

Well, he thought with a smirk as he headed toward his office to collect some parchments and previous years' lesson plans, he would let Dinah handle this. She had already gotten it started, and past instances had proven it was not worth it for them both to go in there and try to tackle the bath issue together. Inevitably, adding a third person into the mix only made the water fly around faster and got them both soaked by the time the girl finally allowed one of them to place her into the bathwater. And besides, Maylene was starting to get a bit old for him to be involved in bathing, and so more and more often he relegated the task to Dinah.

Children truly were unusual creatures, though. Even with Maylene's extreme intelligence she seemed incapable of realizing that if she ended up taking the bath every night so far, chances were it would happen again tonight and she should just stop fighting it. But children were inexplicable.

Parchments and lesson plans collected, Severus returned to the main room, locking the door to his office and settling down at the dining table, using Occlumency to the best of his ability to block out the argument that was still raging in the bathroom. The magic worked somewhat in that manner, directing his focus onto the task at hand and causing May and Dinah's shouting to diminish to what amounted to a slight rumbling background noise, as long as he kept up his concentration.

Skimming his notes from previous seventh-year classes, he recalled that this had been his first lesson in class for three years now, trying to teach the students to produce Patronuses. Before that he had attempted to work the new lesson into the middle of the course, but had found it was better to start early so that they were well-practiced by the time their N.E.W.T.s came around. He had had students produce barely-distinguishable Patronuses before, and had even had a few dunderheads incapable of producing more than a simple stream of light, but he had _never _had a student unable to perform the spell entirely before. Granted, by the time the school year was over, for all he knew, Mae could be back to being the best in class. Hopefully so.

And apparently Andrew was exhibiting some strange behaviors? He would have to keep a close eye on him during tomorrow's Slytherin-Hufflepuff course. Severus was, actually, quite pleased with the fact that he had been able to convince Minerva to adjust his courses a few years back so he never had strictly Slytherin-Gryffindor courses. He had had enough of those during the Potter years to last a lifetime. It was best to keep those houses apart anyway. Even Dinah, with her idealistic nature, agreed that for his classes at least it would be better to pair houses off differently, as she worked to bring the two together in more manageable portions during her game nights.

He sighed, frowning down at his parchment. Today was Tuesday. Tomorrow was a game night. Thus, tomorrow it was him against the children alone without assistance. That was fine normally, but his mood tonight was not well-suited for such a thing. Hopefully it improved tomorrow, but he was still recovering from that ridiculous conference and trying to figure out how to start up his courses a week late. Coming home yesterday had been an utter relief, but now that work had started up again he found that he was stressing a bit over his classes.

He summoned a quill over to him and began scrawling class ideas on a fresh parchment, referencing his old notes whenever he needed to. But being a week behind was not ideal, and the more he tried to condense things or rearrange them the more frustrated he became. He would have to shorten portions of lessons, but which ones? Everything seemed too important to condense. It struck him that he might be able to cut only one or two very brief points from every topic, and maybe in the long run it would cut a week off, but finding brief points was a challenge in and of itself and he could not think of a way to determine for certain that the appropriate time would be saved without expending extreme effort.

He was positively snarling at the parchment when out of the corner of his eye he saw Dinah shuffling Maylene off to bed. He met her gaze with a brief nod and then went back to his daunting task. Why hadn't he thought of this problem before he agreed to attend the conference? Not that he could have gotten out of the conference, really, having published such a large number of spells, but at least he should have had Grubbly-Plank or someone take on his course for him in that time. But he hated relegating his precious lesson plans to another person. The only other faculty member he would feel remotely comfortable allowing to take on his class, even for a short time, was Dinah. Though she would probably be too soft on the students, at least he trusted her capacity to understand his notes and his goals. But she had her own classes and game nights to attend to, so it was all irrelevant anyway.

Speaking of Dinah, there she was again, quietly closing the door to Maylene's bedroom and walking by again. She met his frustrated gaze with a smile and said quietly, "I'm going to go clean things up in the bathroom."

He managed a brief smile in return and nodded. Surely the bathroom was a sopping mess after the normal water fights that came about as Maylene resisted her bath.

Severus let Dinah attend to that issue and turned back to the parchment, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it aside before replacing it with a fresh one. He began a third attempt at a list of things that he might be able to leave out this year. Yes, there was always the option of leaving things out as he saw fit and adjusting as he went along so that in the end he did not run out of time. But he _hated _to not have things planned out from the beginning. He was most definitely not the type of person who could just 'wing it' in that manner, as the common slang phrase went, a phrase he himself would never use. No, he had to get this planned.

"No, no, no!" he growled, stabbing the parchment with his quill and muttering the incantation to erase the words he had just written. He began to write something else down before realizing it was yet another bad choice. "No, that is also wrong!" he bit out, tightening his grip on the quill and furiously scratching out the new words, not even patient enough to use the incantation this time.

"Long day?" The new voice, laced with affection and amusement, sliced through Severus's fury, dissipating it in an instant as Dinah came up behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

Everything relaxed at once, and he found his fingers dropping the quill as he leaned back into her caresses, closing his eyes. "Mm," he managed, but she had already worked her magic on him. It only took an instant for her presence to calm him and take all the frustration away. This was what he had been coming home to for five years, but he refused to allow himself to ever lose his appreciation for it or take it for granted.

Not that there was any reason to believe it would ever go away. He _knew _he would always have this bliss, always have Dinah by his side to make everything comfortable and perfect. It was more that he always wanted to experience every one of these moments to the fullest, never wanted to let himself forget how lucky he was to have his wonderful wife. It was a promise he had made to himself, and one that was very easy to keep.

"How are the dunderheads?" she teased.

Severus chuckled. It always amused him to no end to hear a Londoner like Dinah use that word; "Mostly normal."

"Mostly?"

"Mae Yates can't produce a Patronus," he frowned.

"Mae Yates can't…?" Dinah trailed, her hands slowing on his shoulders in her surprise, "Really? You mean, not at _all_?"

"Not in the least. No form, no light. Nothing."

"I wonder why," she murmured, returning to her previous motion and leaning close, her long silky hair falling across his shoulder and brushing against his face and neck, causing the beginnings of arousal to compete with his relaxation. For now, the relaxation won, but it was probably only a matter of time before that changed.

"I cannot think of any reason," he replied, lifting his hands to clutch her arms and pull her in a little tighter, inhaling her sweet scent, "I thought you might have some insight."

"Well… she's seemed a bit distracted as of late. Andrew too, come to think of it," Dinah considered, stopping the massaging altogether and instead hugging his shoulders, frowning down at the parchment he had been scribbling on as he tilted his head to the side a little to note her expression. She was considering the issue, but she made no further comment.

"Mae said something about Andrew acting 'funny'," he admitted. "But even distractions of that nature shouldn't prevent her from producing one entirely. Make it weak, certainly, but not make it nothing."

"Mm. Well, your Patronus stopped working for a while once too, remember?"

He sighed, frowning down at the parchment along with her, though neither one of them was reading the words on it. "Yes. But that was for a number of complex reasons, none of which apply to Mae Yates. First, my Patronus was going through a transition. Second, I was highly depressed, going through a… what was it called?"

"Paradigm shift," Dinah filled in the Muggle term for him.

"Yes," he recalled his first encounters with the 'good' side of the Muggle world and how much of a shock it had been to his youthened sensibilities, "Paradigm shift. Additionally, I was only sixteen, at least mentally."

"Mae's only seventeen," Dinah chuckled, turning to face him a little again.

"Ah. True," he met her slight smile. "Either way, though, none of the others apply. Her Patronus is quite unlikely to be transitioning as she doesn't even have one yet, and she is not highly depressed. A bit… agitated about something, perhaps," he recalled her demeanor today with another small frown, "but not depressed."

Dinah shrugged. "Well, maybe she just needs a little time. Maybe they're having a rift and they have to work it out. I wouldn't worry about it. Although it is strange for Mae to not be doing something at the top of her class…" she trailed off again.

"_Exactly_," he agreed. "That is what has been bothering me. That, and-" he growled a little, his frustration coming back, and made a gesture at the scratched off words on the parchment, "Attempting to re-do my infernal course schedule now that I've lost a week's worth of time. Ridiculous conference!"

His wife smiled, leaning over and whispering into his ear, "Well, perhaps we can find something a little more fun to do to distract you. What do you say to that, love?" she nipped, lightly, and his body's goals switched. After all, he would only be _more _relaxed once they had made love.

He turned to meet her gaze with a suggestive smile and she returned it, knowing his answer without any words having to be spoken. He pulled her face to him so that he could kiss her soft lips, his hands trailing down to her hips and pulling her close as he reveled in her own hands, one of which was resting on his chest and the other crawling up his neck and into his hair.

Their lips parted and he quietly stood from the chair, pushing his parchment aside as Dinah grasped his arm and leaned in close, ready to follow him into the bedroom. He then pulled her waist back to him and returned his anticipatory gaze to her electrifying grey eyes; "I might have to have you multiple times tonight, love," he returned her term of endearment.

"I will give myself gladly each time," she purred back. "After all, we have a week to make up for, don't we?"

"Mm, and it is a far more pleasant thing to make up than my classes, that's certain."

"I should hope so," she laughed, her eyelids lowering, "Shall we go then?"

"Indeed. We have only to-"

"Mummy?" a small voice asked.

The moment interrupted, Severus felt a twinge of disappointment and an unfortunate wilting of his desire, but also amusement as both he and Dinah laughed. This was not an unusual occurrence at all.

"What is it, Maylene?" Dinah asked, turning a smile to their daughter, who was standing sleepily in her doorway clutching a blanket and her plush snake toy.

"I'm thirsty."

"Oh, _are _you now?" Dinah put on a show of being stern and placed her hands squarely on her hips, "Perhaps you could have drunk some of that water that you splashed all over _me _during bath time?"

"I'm sorry," she did an excellent job of looking pitiful, if Severus did say so himself.

"It's all right," Dinah laughed, and then turned to Severus, "I guess we have to put this on hold."

He smiled, "I'll take care of her. You go on to bed."

"Thank you," her gaze softened in her gratitude and she briefly kissed him, squeezing his shoulder with one hand before disappearing off into the bedroom. He watched her go, feeling nothing but deep affection. He would return to her soon.

Meantime, there was the girl to contend with. "Well, Maylene, would a glass of water suffice or would you prefer pumpkin juice, cherry syrup with soda, or a glass of wine?" he asked, keeping his tone serious.

She giggled; "Just _water_, Daddy!"

He smiled, feeling a different type of affection now as he regarded the little girl before him; "Fine, then. Return to your room and I will bring it to you. Then you must _promise _to go to sleep, do you understand me?"

"Yes!" she chirped, turning to bound back into the bedroom in triumph.

He smiled, summoning a glass over from the kitchen area and filling it using _Aguamenti _before carrying it into his daughter's bedroom. He frowned as he stepped around toy after toy in an attempt to reach her bed, "Maylene, didn't Mummy and I tell you to get your room clean soon?"

"But – but today I had to make lots of potions from my Potion Set and then my snake got sick and Tommy and me had to fix him up and at break Uncle Siri gave us ice cream and Owen wanted to eat it outside so I couldn't come back here and fix it then and at other break after breakfast Auntie Lucy and Mummy wanted to talk private upstairs so we weren't here again and other breaks we weren't here either and tonight there was just _so _much going on I simply did not have the time!" she finished proudly.

Severus wanted to be stern, but her long-winded explanation had melted away any capability he had of doing so, and instead he could not resist hugging her to him. "You ridiculous little child," he scolded affectionately before releasing her, "Well, you have to do it tomorrow then, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Daddy," she smiled sweetly.

"And while you're at it, you could start taking baths without complaint and giving your mother such a hard time every night," he raised an eyebrow, hoping that she would be reasonable tonight as he handed her the glass of water she had requested.

"But I don't want to!" she whined.

"Maylene, if you do not take baths, you will be dirty. You do understand that concept, don't you? You are a very smart girl."

"But I like being dirty!"

He sighed, "May Eileen Snape, being dirty is not good. You are such a pretty little girl, but if you are dirty nobody will care about that and nobody will want to be around you. You don't want that, do you?"

"Yes!"

He heaved another sigh. This was a losing battle. Time and time again, he had to face the fact that even a child as gifted as Maylene could not be reasoned with. At least her hair was not greasy. Honestly, he didn't know _what _he would do if she had that affliction. It was bad enough that the boy had his nose, though luckily no one – that he knew of – had mocked him for it yet. It was especially satisfying to see how cautious Sirius Black was in that regard. The man truly had redeemed himself in Severus's eyes, though. He _never _treated Severus's children badly, never showed any inclination of treating them in any way like he had treated Severus in their school days. It was a meaningful gesture.

"I don't honestly think you want that," Severus said, raising another eyebrow. "Besides, every night you fight us and every night you take a bath anyway. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Maybe I'll win tomorrow."

"Maybe you'll win tomorrow," he repeated, sighing and rolling his eyes. "Well, I give up for tonight. Get some sleep, Maylene. Have you finished your water?"

"Yes," she handed him back an almost empty glass.

"All right," he murmured, considering briefly what kinds of strategies might convince her to bathe tomorrow. Reverse psychology never worked, but perhaps if they actually let her skip the bath and face people calling her dirty… but he didn't wish anything like that on his children. There was always taking away some privilege, though it was a common punishment… he'd have to talk it over with Dinah as this had gone on for far too long and he was sure his wife was tired of getting soaked every night as a result.

He gently tucked his daughter in and bid her good night with a brief kiss on the forehead. Next, he ventured back into the boy's room to make sure all of the talking hadn't caused him to stir. Now that they had small children he and Dinah had become quite good at keeping their affections quiet but it was still better to cover all bases.

Tommy was sleeping soundly with the covers pulled right up to his abnormally long nose. Severus sighed, kneeling in front of the bed and touching the nose in concern. What could he do about it? He had given his son this curse, but it was something he would have to learn to deal with. At least Dinah was there, loving both their noses in the way that she did. But she could not influence the behavior of future Hogwarts classmates…

He could not – should not – keep worrying about this. It would work itself out, and yet it was something he could not keep from nagging at him from time to time. Kissing the boy good-night, he left the bedroom again, opened a crack as always for light.

That made it even more imperative to keep his and Dinah's door closed. He headed for the bedroom, but was, of course, waylaid again by something winding itself around his legs, apparently intent on tripping him.

Infernal animals.

He sighed and looked down at the brown and white short-haired tabby, "Not now, Gel, please. Don't tell me you're hungry?" Godric and Dora's son, Gelbus, had been named after Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore. It amused Severus to no end that Dinah had managed to pick the one cat out of the litter of three that matched the appetites of herself and Maylene. Surrounded with three gluttons, it was a wonder himself, Tommy, and Godric ever managed to eat at all.

Severus made swift work of feeding the ravenous creature before he was finally able to get to the bedroom, entering it to find his wife with her shoulders propped up on the pillow reading a book. She smiled when she saw him, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she dropped the book onto her chest, let her head fall to one side, and decidedly pretended to be asleep.

Oh, so she was going to be playing that game tonight, was she? Severus felt a sly smile forming and shut the door, heading for the bed and climbing in next to her, wrapping his arms about her waist and pulling her close before leaning his lips down to nibble along her ear, as she often did to him.

"Mm," she shook her head, still keeping up her ridiculous act although that little teasing smile still played on her lips, "I'm too tired now."

"Liar!" he hissed into her ear, adding just the right amount of classroom viciousness to his tone to indulge that magnificent fetish she had. The one where his normal stoic, snarky behaviors and classroom demeanor got her so hot and bothered her face turned the deepest shade of red and she could barely breathe. She was responding just as expected now, those perfect breasts heaving a little as she tried to keep up her act but was ultimately unsuccessful as she turned her head to meet his lips.

Again, as in last night, he did not want to wait. Could not wait. His body was screaming for her. As he massaged her tongue with his own he climbed on top of her and parted her flimsy nighttime robes, gaining access to her smooth abdomen and silky legs. He did not even know if he would have the time to fully undress, but helped her remove at least his trousers as quickly as was possible, all the while refusing to release her lips. He touched her everywhere as she next made work of his pants, enjoyed listening to her soft moans and feeling her lithe, feminine body squirming beneath him.

And then her hands grasped him beneath his hardness and he jerked almost violently from the contact, growling his protest at her action. If she did that even once more he would not be able to hold himself in any longer. "Stop!" he gasped out, not wanting to release until he was fully and tightly inside of her.

Dinah chuckled, but relented, stroking her hands instead along his chest, muttering a merciful spell to release all the buttons of his frock coat and shirts at once as her fingers found the bare skin, already beginning to sweat from the desire in combination with the many clothing layers he wore. He was used to it, normally, but when it came to sex it could be uncomfortable being clothed as such. She, for the most part, preferred to unbutton him, but impatience was coloring both of their behaviors tonight.

A wave of desire shook through Severus again and he could wait no longer. He reclaimed her lips as she spread his legs for him and he thrust into her, feeling a gasp of sweet relief as her tightness enveloped him, stroking along his length with each thrust. His moans mingled with hers as he continued to thrust, fighting for release which was granted to him rather quickly in a miraculous rush. He found himself emptied but filled up in return by everything he always gained from sex with Dinah.

He collapsed onto her, both their bodies slick with sweat, and waited a brief moment for his breath to return before slipping out of her and meeting her satisfied gaze, their smiles matched as their lips returned together for a lighter, gentler 'thank-you' kiss. And no other words needed to be said.

Readjusting his position on the bed, their arms wrapped around each other once more and he curled around her, nestling his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. There was no question of how much he had missed her over the last week. There had, of course, been owls sent back and forth detailing how he, she, and the children were doing during his absence, but it was not the same. Perhaps he should have been less stubborn and consented to use her ridiculous internet to talk to the rest of his family on one of those website… camera… things. But he had not. And he didn't think he was really ready for it anyway. He was adjusting to Muggle things, very slowly, but _that _was still an abomination to him. Internet, indeed!

But it had meant a week without seeing hers and the children's faces or hearing their voices. He refused to get a 'mobile' too. Maybe he would start to relent on that one at least. Maybe not. Not that it mattered. He wasn't attending any more stupid Auror conferences anyway. But maybe some Potions ones. Maybe.

Exhaustion was clouding his mind, apparently, as his thoughts were becoming convoluted. And yet, he still fancied that he might need to have her once more later tonight but perhaps a little sleeping first would be beneficial.

All of a sudden his thoughts drifted, randomly and without warning, to that letter Dinah had received from Minerva yesterday. And in that same instant it occurred to him that he had been a bit dishonest with himself about his feelings on it yesterday. Yes, he knew that he would not leave Dinah, but the letter did still worry him somewhat. Even if he knew he would survive whatever person or entity was threatening him, that did not guarantee that there would not be risks or injuries. He feared that somehow this whole scenario, if anything came of it, might cause Dinah pain. His beloved wife, the mother of his children, and the miracle that had made his life worth living… Dinah. He could not stand to see her suffer, see her frightened or upset, see her endure anything that caused her pain.

Severus would, of course, guarantee that every member of their family survived whatever ordeals they faced, but that did not mean there would not be hardships along the way. He did not want any one of them to suffer such hardships. But he feared there would be little he could do to prevent them.

"I missed you," he told her, softly, unable to keep silent any longer. He just had to say _something_.

"Severus," she whispered, her words filling him again with that tender way she spoke his name, and he was again struck with the sure knowledge that he would _never _stop appreciating her presence in his life.

"I love you," he murmured, unable to stop talking now that he had begun.

"Oh, my darling," she whispered, clutching him tighter around the waist and pressing her head more tightly against his.

He opened his eyes so that he could look at her, kissing her lips again. Once. Twice. He couldn't stop anymore. Their kisses became insistent, laced with the deepest affection he had ever known and more intense than he could ever describe. All he _did _know was that it turned out he didn't need a nap in-between after all.

* * *

><p>The common room in Ravenclaw tower was quiet this late evening, as Mae Yates sat at a table finishing up her eighteen-inch essay. She sighed, setting down her quill and leaning back in her chair and staring up at the dark ceiling painted with twinkling stars, wondering what the point was.<p>

An essay, no matter how well-researched it was, could do nothing for the practical problem of actually producing a Patronus. She had come to that realization tonight, and it was still very hard for her to accept.

Her gaze shifted to follow her pet Scops owl, Alexander, as he circled above her head until he landed on the table at the top left corner of her nearly-completed parchment, cocking his small head at her, those big eyes asking if she was finished yet.

"Almost," she told him with a smile, but her voice and face held no enthusiasm, she was sure. Writing the essay had helped distract her, but it was just no good. She was falling apart as a witch, unable to produce even the tiniest hint of a Patronus and not doing especially well in Transfiguration or Charms either.

She just couldn't think. Her mind drifted only and always to Andrew and his recent behaviors.

She knew her boyfriend meant well, whatever was going through his head, but she didn't understand why he had to keep pressing the matter. Why he didn't understand her uneasiness and hesitation. Why he refused to acknowledge that there was a problem and kept acting as though everything would be fine. As though it would be normal.

Mae tried to distract herself again by returning her gaze to the parchment, but she found that exhaustion had overtaken her and she could no longer think. Professor Snape's assignment was just going to have to wait a little while longer for completion.

It was so late and every single one of her housemates had gone to bed already. She yawned, digging her bare toes into the thick, plush midnight blue carpet and dreaming of going to sleep, but unable to move for a moment as she closed her eyes.

A sudden rattling startled them open again, and she briefly wondered if she had fallen asleep for a few moments.

There the noise was again.

Mae's gaze darted about the common room, landing on the windows framed by their wispy-blue curtains. It almost sounded like someone was trying to break in, but of course the windows were open and airy and there were no rattling latches to speak of that she knew about.

She listened closely, but all was quiet.

She stood and gathered her things together, forcing another small smile at her pet owl and beckoning to him with her hand. He alighted and followed her up the stairs.

She would think more tomorrow. Tonight she needed sleep.


	5. Snuggly and Gross

**A/N: Thanks to reviewers since last chapter MRSSPICY and Amani Ishikawa, and to everyone else who has reviewed, favorited, or alerted this story! This chapter will be fairly Lucy and Sirius heavy as I try to establish their POVs for the rest of the story. Their parts were written by CommanderValeria.**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER FIVE<p>

Snuggly and Gross

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><p>The week after Severus returned from his trip and Minnie had received that threatening letter Sirius made his way down to the dungeons during his early morning break Monday. He watched his four-year-old son hold his little brother's hand as they walked along and Sirius carried his three-month-old daughter down to visit 'Uncle Sev'.<p>

When they reached the closed office door, Owen looked up and asked, "Can I knock?"

Sirius nodded and smiled at his son, "Go ahead, but _just_ knock." The boy had a habit of yelling for his Uncle Sev and his cousins. Altair, their only red-headed child, just stood there looking around, popping a thumb into his mouth while they waited for an answer.

The door slowly opened and Severus stood behind it, "Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He probably hadn't been expecting them, though that wasn't a surprise.

"Uncle Sev!" Owen squealed, letting go of Altair's hand to launch himself at the man who'd answered the door.

A small smile formed on the normally stoic man's face as he knelt down and lifted his 'nephew' up, "Good morning, Owen. Might you be interested in telling me what brings your family here today?"

"Papa," Owen said, pointing back to his father, choosing to answer the question literally.

Sirius grinned and bent to pick up Altair with his free arm as the boy tugged on his robes. At just over one-year-old Altair didn't speak much besides 'Mummum' and 'Papa'. Predictably, Lucy was starting to worry that something was wrong, but they had both decided to wait a bit longer and see if perhaps he was just a quiet child. After all, Lucy had been much the same way, Molly assured them.

"Actually," Sirius said, straightening up, "I was wondering if I might have a private word with you?"

"You may. Dinah is with the first years and I have been grading eighteen inch essays from my seventh years class," he took a step back, put Owen down, and gestured for the rest of them to come in.

"Thanks. This shouldn't take too long," Sirius said, taking a seat in front of Severus's desk where he assumed his colleague had been doing his grading. "Why don't you take your brother and go and find Maylene and Tommy, O?"

"Dara too?" Owen asked, taking Altair's hand again and tugging him down off their father's lap. For whatever reason Owen had decided to call his little sister Dara instead of Adara even though they knew he _could_ say her full name. Altair's smaller vocabulary extended to calling his siblings O and Da.

"No, she's still too little," Sirius said. Adara, having been up at four and seven for a feeding, was sleeping, but would likely wake soon for another meal.

Owen gave a dramatic sigh, but took his brother off towards the Snapes' living room. "She's _always_ too little," he muttered.

Severus smiled slightly as the children disappeared into the living room, and then turned back to Sirius, "What can I do for you?"

Sirius chuckled and adjusted the little girl in his arms, casting a charm on the door so the older kids didn't try to eavesdrop, not that they would but one never knew what kids like Owen and Maylene were up to. "Actually, I was wondering if you and Dinah would be willing to watch the kids this weekend?"

"We have nothing specific planned, so I don't see that it would be a problem," Severus replied. "What's happening this weekend that you need to leave?"

"Well our anniversary was a little over a week ago and I'm surprising Lu with a return trip to the Isle of Skye. It's where we went for a late honeymoon that summer…It was the first time we'd left Owen. Lu cried for hours," he smiled a bit over the memories.

Severus smirked, "Undoubtedly. I hope, though, once she was finished you did have a good time."

Sirius raised an eyebrow and grinned, "What do you think?"

Rolling his eyes, Severus nodded, "Point made. Well, please, feel free to go again and we will watch the children. You'll have to return the favor at some point, though..." his expression indicated, albeit just barely, that he was considering having a similar 'good time' with Dinah at some point.

"Of course we would. You know Lucy loves having the kids over and has the inexplicable ability to make Maylene wait for her meals. Somehow the kid always manages to get a 'secret cookie' out of me," he said, frowning.

Severus chuckled, "Good, then it's not just me. The women would probably say that men are weak-willed in that department..."

Sirius grinned at the closed door. "I'm sure Owen doesn't help that theory. Always 'doing things' for May."

He flicked his wand at the door and it took less than two seconds for Owen and May to tumble out. "Papa," Owen said, hands on his hips much like his mother would have done, "somebody in there is stinky."

Sirius chuckled, "Well, who is it? Your brother or your cousin?"

"I don't know," Owen whined, "I didn't sniff them. Mummy says sniffing is rude."

"Your father does it all the time," Severus said lightly, eyeing Sirius with a slightly amused glance, "However, there is also a third possibility," he frowned. "Maylene, you _have_ been watching your brother, haven't you? He is _not _to be investigating the cats' litter box again."

The little black-haired Snape girl shrugged, "I dunno."

Owen frowned and looked at the girl standing next to him, "Do so! We was getting a secret–"

"Shh!" May hissed, shoving a finger to her lips.

"Owen, how many times must we go over the fact that Maylene does not need you to feed her?" Severus asked. "We provide your cousin with plenty of nourishment to survive on. Now, both of you put the cookies away, go find your brothers, and bring them here."

"I'm sorry," Owen said, looking pretty glum about being scolded, "She said she was hungry. I was just trying to help." He sighed and turned around, muttering to Maylene, "C'mon May, let's go put cookies away. And you can't have one!"

Sirius chuckled as the two children disappeared again. "He means well, but he's got to learn not to let May manipulate him like that. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets sorted into Slytherin when the time comes."

That thought seemed to please Severus, who smiled and nodded in the direction where the children had disappeared.

When they returned, Altair followed his older brother while Maylene dragged Tommy into their presence. "I don't know, Papa," Owen said, shaking his head, "I think 'tair is a little stinky but looky Tommy's hands!"

Sirius crooked his finger, calling his younger son forward, while Tommy hid behind his sister, trying to avoid _his_ father's gaze.

"Thomas Edward Snape," Severus growled, pointing to a spot on the floor in front of him, "Come here this instant."

Both the younger boys hung their heads, Altair still with thumb in mouth, and shuffled their way to their fathers.

Sirius leaned down and rudely sniffed his son, "Well, I think I found at least one of the culprits."

The shifting around apparently upset Adara though and she began to fuss. Not quite crying yet, but working her way there.

Owen reached into his pocket and pulled out a pacifier. "Here Papa," he said, holding out the soother, "I got 'tair's sucker. I think 'dara wants it."

"Thank you," Sirius said, smiling down at his eldest child, "that's a good job." He took the 'sucker' from Owen and eased it into Adara's mouth. She soon settled back down, but it probably wouldn't last too long as the time for another feeding drew nearer.

Severus examined Tommy's hands, which were covered in some sort of grey goop, with a frown; "I don't believe this is from the cats' litter box..." he took some onto his fingers and rubbed them together, sniffing cautiously, "Sardine juice, volcanic ash, and oak... Tommy, have you been into May's 'Child's First Potions Set'?"

"WHAT?" Maylene shrieked before her brother could answer, running over and shoving at him, "That's mine! I told you never to touch my potion set!"

"Do NOT push your brother!" Severus shouted, scooping Tommy up and out of his sister's reach. "You were supposed to be watching him, May. If it is anyone's fault that he got into your potions it is _yours_."

"But Daddy!" Maylene whined, sniffling a little, "I was hungry and I only left him for a minute and Owen was gonna get me a cookie and - and - and - "

"None of that gives you permission to shove your brother, does it?" Severus raised an eyebrow at his daughter.

"N-no," she sniffled again, wiping her nose.

"I believe a time-out is in order. And your mother will hear about this when she returns. Go to your room until I come and permit you to exit. Owen, don't follow her, stay out here!" Severus ordered Sirius's son, who had started to follow the sulking Maylene from the room. He stopped and turned back though as Severus sighed, turning to Sirius, "I apologize for that."

"It's okay," Sirius said, turning to Owen. "We've talked about this; we don't go with people to their time-outs."

"But May'll get lonely!"

"I think that's sort of the point, O. Besides, we have to get going so I can change your brother. I'm sure you'll see May later when you guys come down so Aunt Dinah can watch you."

"'dara comes too?" Owen asked.

"Just as soon as Mummy's done feeding her." He stood up, taking Altair by the hand and using his foot to scoot Owen towards the door. "Thanks again," he said to Severus, "and let us know when you want us to return the favor."

Severus nodded, casting a spell to clean the hands of the small boy on his lap, "I'm sure we'll come up with a convenient time for that to happen."

Sirius nodded back and ushered his children back up to their home.

* * *

><p>"Any luck yet?" Dinah asked when she returned to the dungeons for dinner Monday evening with Maylene and Tommy in tow, it having been her turn to collect the children from where they had been being watched by Professor Grubbly-Plank during one of the rare times when none of the four parents had a break to watch them. She did worry, from time to time, that shuffling the children around all day long depending upon who had breaks would have some sort of negative effects on their young psyches, but hoped that would not truly be the case. They all seemed to handle it well at any rate, the older ones having even made a game out of memorizing their schedules.<p>

"No," her husband growled from where he stood near the kitchen table feeding the cats, "And I have had it with this nonsense as well. If Mae Yates fails her Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. I am not being held responsible!"

"It wouldn't go that far, would it?" Dinah worried, her brow furrowing at the thought. She had been keeping an eye on Mae and Andrew in classes, but they had been behaving mostly as normal. Granted, her classes were so discussion-heavy there had been little student interaction for her to witness.

Her game night last week, on the other hand, presented a different scenario. Whereas Mae and Andrew usually ended up at the same table, last Wednesday they had managed to find themselves on completely opposite ends of the library. Mae had assured Dinah that everything was fine and they were just trying to help further the game night's goal of branching out and meeting different people, but Dinah was not so sure about that. If they tried it again next week she had the thought that she might just drag them back together and force them at a table whether they liked it or not, and she wasn't usually a pushy individual.

"If she cannot produce a Patronus her marks will be lowered significantly. And as she has, apparently, not been doing very well in Transfiguration or Charms either I highly doubt she will be performing other spells in my class at the optimum level, when we start to practice them."

"I hope that changes then. It's still early yet," Dinah said uneasily, helping Maylene and Tommy into their seats for dinner as they all settled at the table, summoning forth tonight's meal from the house elves, which ended up being an Italian-style fresh mozzarella and basil pizza, "And Andrew's Patronus?" she asked, while cutting up Tommy's pizza for him.

"A flimsy jet of light which refuses to form any type of shape," Severus grumbled, handing Maylene a napkin when she started eating the pizza with her fingers to messy results. "As it is, he will not receive higher than an 'Acceptable' and even that is a stretch."

"The N.E.W.T.s are a long way off yet," Dinah, true to her Hufflepuff nature, tried to look on the bright side of things and have as much faith as possible in her two young friends. "We need to invite them over here. We haven't had a chance to do so yet this year and maybe if we did we could get to the bottom of this, or at least help."

Severus chuckled slightly, and Dinah was glad to see his mood improve a bit, "Speaking of visitors and helpfulness, there's something that I need to inform you of."

"We're having some kind of helpful visitor?" she guessed, raising an eyebrow at him and awaiting his answer.

"At least one this weekend by the name of Owen."

"Yeah!" Maylene piped up, "Owen and 'Tair and Dara are staying with us! And Owen can give me cookies! And that way Auntie Lucy and Uncle Siri can be all snuggly and gross!"

Dinah had to laugh at her daughter's announcement, "Really now?" she looked at Severus, "Translation?"

He was also laughing, "Yes, well, as our daughter has so kindly pointed out, yes, it seems we will be having the Black children for the weekend. I assumed you would be fine with it, considering it is in order for Lucy and Sirius to have a second honeymoon of sorts on the Isle of Skye and be, in Maylene's words, 'all snuggly and gross'," he said, causing May to giggle and nod.

"Oh!" Dinah clapped her hands together, thinking of how lovely that sounded, "How romantic! The Isle of Sky again, huh? We should go sometime, too. We've never been there."

"We've been places," Severus protested. As a general rule, he wasn't interested in fancy holiday destinations. He preferred their romantic getaways to be spent at home or at Hogwarts, which, she supposed, made sense as he didn't really enjoy any sort of 'holidaying' hobbies. Swimming, in particular, he occasionally made out to be the bane of his existence. But a nice visit to a scenic area they weren't familiar with was something she managed to force on him whenever she could.

"We haven't been _there_," she protested right back at him. "Besides, I bet it's a lovely place to be all snuggly and gross."

"Lovelier than our own bedroom?" he raised a suggestive eyebrow, and then shrugged, "Either way, Sirius did promise to return the favor so you might get your wish," he smirked at the look on her face as she cheered inwardly. "This weekend, however, we are to remain here with the zoo of children. Perhaps…" he hesitated, "Well, it might be a fine enough time to have Mae and Andrew over. An extra two pairs of eyes can only help us when we have to contend with five children at once. Not to mention six animals."

Dinah laughed, "Yes, let's invite them over to work instead of to have fun."

"They enjoy the children. Besides, it will give us more opportunity to… 'spy' on them, I suppose, if we watch them perform ordinary activities and don't put them on the spot by behaving suspiciously or asking them why they are behaving like a pair of dunderheads this year."

"I just love having a sneaky Slytherin like you on my side," she teased, exchanging a brief smile with her husband, before having to turn and address Tommy again, as he chose to play with his pizza rather than eat it.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why<em> are all the kids packed up like they're going somewhere for the weekend?" Lucy asked. There were three little suitcases lined up by the door Friday evening when she came in after her final class and one cat carrier, Dora growling inside.

"They're going on a trip for the weekend," Sirius grinned. "Dinah and Severus are stealing them from us."

"_All_ of them?" Lucy frowned. "Even Adara? But I'm still…"

"You've got plenty of milk stored down in the kitchens for her. It'll be fine. They wanted to give us a little anniversary present."

"Yeah!" Owen chimed in, "and I get to help May with stuff!"

Lucy giggled and squatted down to hug her son, "Well that's nice of them. We'll have to do the same for them when their anniversary comes around."

"Oh, I already promised we would," Sirius told her, "Now we need to get going. I told Severus we'd be down to have dinner with them and drop the kids off."

Sirius grabbed most of the luggage, Owen taking hold of his own bag, while Lucy carried Adara and took hold of Altair's hand. With all the students heading to dinner there was little to distract the kids as they walked from their home to the Snapes'. When they reached the door Altair tugged on his mother's robes, his thumb forever in his mouth, and pointed to the door with his other hand.

"You want to knock this time?" she asked. Her little red-headed son nodded. "Go ahead," she told him, "Knock hard so they can hear you."

He pounded his tiny fist as hard as he could on the door and stood back to patiently wait for an answer.

"Aunt Dinah!" Owen called, "'Tair knocked!"

The door clicked open and Dinah smiled a teasing smile down at Owen with her hands on her hips, "I heard that, Owen. You have to remember us grown-ups are very old and it takes us quite a long time to get all the way to the door here from the kitchen. Oh, except for maybe your very young Mum," she grinned at Lucy.

Owen giggled, "Papa says Mummy's just a baby compared to him."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but kept smiling, "So, I hear we're having dinner here and then you're stealing my children away for the weekend?"

"That's what I've heard, too," Dinah smiled, stepping back, "Come on inside. Altair," she held her hand out for the little boy, "Thank you for knocking. I heard you loud and clear. Next time tell your brother to be a little more patient, okay?"

Lucy watched as her reserved younger son reached out to take Dinah's hand, nodding.

"Where can I put my stuff Aunt Di?" Owen asked, "In May's room? Then I can maybe help her. We brought Dora too, 'cause she maybe misses Godric."

Sirius laughingly shook his head, nodding at Severus as the group entered the living room.

"May's room is fine for now. We thought we'd let you children pick the arrangements, as long as there's two to a room it's fine with us. You can put Adara's cot in our bedroom," Dinah informed Lucy and Sirius.

"Owen!" Maylene hurried up to Lucy's son, "I need-"

"Hush!" Dinah covered her daughter's mouth. "You don't need anything, May."

"That's okay," Owen assured his friend, "I gotta take my stuffs to your room. You can tell me there."

Dinah exchanged a glance with Severus before reluctantly releasing her daughter's mouth, "May Eileen Snape, if we find out you've ordered Owen to do something for you again you are going to be in trouble, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mummy," May replied meekly, following Owen into the bedroom.

Severus shook his head, "_That_ one."

Sirius chuckled some more, silently taking his children's things into Dinah and Severus's bedroom, quickly returning. "I put Altair's stuff in there too. You can stick him in the cot with Adara if you want but he's recently started climbing out of it so he probably won't be there next time you go to look for him."

"Oh, we've had the house elves deliver two extra beds and one has a railing, so I think he'll be fine with whichever room he chooses to sleep in," Dinah said, leading the group over to the dining table, "Any other special instructions? We've invited Mae and Andrew over to spend Sunday afternoon and evening, just so you know."

"No, I think that's it," Sirius said, "I did let Dora out of her carrier though, so she's probably under the bed with Godric again."

Lucy smiled and shook her head, surprised they hadn't had another litter of kittens yet. Adara, probably sensing it was meal time, started fussing around and Lucy quickly waved her wand, wrapping a blanket around her upper body designed just so that she could stay covered while feeding her daughter. "I hope you don't mind," she said, "I can go in the other room if you want."

"Don't worry about it," Dinah waved her off, speaking the dinner summons next until roast turkey and mashed potatoes with vegetables appeared on the table.

Everyone gathered around the appealing meal, Sirius handling both boys while Lucy expertly ate one-handed, simultaneously feeding her daughter. Before Lucy knew it, it was time to leave. "Don't make me leave them," she looked up at her husband with large, sad eyes. Tommy and Altair were quietly up to something in the corner of the room while Maylene and Owen sat entertaining Adara where she lay in the middle of the floor.

Sirius rolled his eyes, grinning at her, "They will be fine. You know Dinah and Severus will take good care of them. Besides they'll be going to bed soon and you'll see them again on Sunday so it won't really be that long."

"But-"

"No crying," he firmly told her. "Trust me. You are going to enjoy this weekend and," he said, pulling her on to his lap and kissing her, "I'm sure we'll find ways to keep ourselves busy."

"See!" a pleased voice exclaimed, and Lucy managed a glance to see Maylene pointing at her and Sirius, "Snuggly and gross!"

"Don't point, May, that's rude," Dinah scolded, but hid a giggle. Severus also looked quite amused.

After five years of marriage and three kids, Lucy still managed to blush, "Yes, May, snuggly and gross. You just wait, someday you'll be snuggly and gross too."

"But only with someone who is worthy," Severus apparently felt it necessary to tag on, confusing Maylene more than anything else, before turning to the 'snuggly and gross' pair and offering Sirius a raised eyebrow, "I believe you're running out of time," he said mysteriously.

"Ah, right," Sirius said, standing with Lucy in his arms, "Come, my bride." After a quick round of good-byes he literally carried her out of the Snapes' rooms. He refused to answer Lucy's questions about where they were going as he walked off Hogwarts grounds. In an instant the scenery around them changed and he finally allowed Lucy to stand on her own two feet again.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking around. Off to her left she spotted a small cabin near the ocean that looked very familiar. "Is this…?"

"Welcome back," Sirius grinned, keeping his arms around her, "I asked Severus if he and Dinah wouldn't mind taking the kids for the weekend so I could whisk you away to Skye."

She smiled up at her husband, feeling tears fill her eyes again. Sometimes it amazed her that she'd been gifted with someone who could love her like he did. It wasn't something she'd ever expected to have. "I love you," she whispered, reaching up to kiss him.

As the kiss continued on Lucy felt Sirius maneuvering them towards the cabin, opening the door, and closing it behind them when they entered so they could be 'snuggly and gross'.


	6. Subtle Clues

**A/N: Thanks to MRSSPICY for her review of last chapter! I am trying to, each chapter, personally thank everyone who reviewed since the last post. That way, everyone gets mentioned at least once but the list doesn't get too long! :) One more "filler" and then things will start happening!**

**Sorry if there's any Maylene/Mae confusion!**

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><p>CHAPTER SIX<p>

Subtle Clues

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><p>Dinah stepped around a plethora of children and toys as she headed towards Severus's office on Sunday after lunch to answer the knock on the door to the hallway. Leaving the office door open was always risky, especially with Tommy around and all the things he could get into, but with the crowd of children they would likely not be able to hear their guests knocking if they closed both the office and hallway doors.<p>

Upon opening the door in concern, Dinah was glad to see Mae and Andrew standing together with their hands entwined. Although they were looking at the door and not at each other and Mae looked a little… off, as she had been looking lately, Dinah took it as a good sign. "Hi!" she greeted them cheerfully, "So glad you could make it."

"Thank you for inviting us," Andrew said, still the more subdued member of the couple. And he still had bad allergies that no potion or spell seemed able to alleviate, although they weren't as bad as when he was younger.

"Come on in, we're just having – hm?" she felt something grab her leg and looked down to see Altair, his thumb in his mouth as normal, trying to get her attention. "What is it, sweetie?" He pointed back toward the living room. "Is somebody getting into something they shouldn't?" He nodded. "Okay, let's go see who it is," she smiled, lifting the quiet, sweet little boy into her arms. "Come in, and… er… watch your step. We have five today."

"Yeah, you said that," Mae laughed, letting go of Andrew and hurrying ahead. Dinah watched her as she went, keeping a close eye on her behavior as she, Altair, and Andrew followed behind, and they all four entered the living room together.

"And don't do that again!" Severus was yelling at Maylene and Owen, apparently the culprits to whom Altair had been referring, as he shuffled them off separately into hers and Tommy's bedrooms, probably for a time-out.

"We're here," Dinah said with a smile. She'd have to get Severus to tell her what May and Owen did later. Right now there was just too much going on and too many children running around.

"I see," he said, whirling around and giving her a slight smile of acknowledgment before turning to regard the two new guests.

"Hello," Andrew said.

"Andrew," Severus nodded.

"Uh… hi, Professor Snape," Mae gave a little, sheepish wave of greeting.

Instead of replying, Severus just stared at her, gave a slight smirk, and turned away, "I'm going to check on the boy, Dinah. He disappeared into the bathroom while I was scolding the other two. Do what you desire with the students," and he disappeared.

"I… think I just got snubbed," Mae said, biting her lip.

Dinah sighed, used to her ornery husband and understanding how frustrated he had become with Mae's Patronus issue. Still, that had been rather rude, but there was little she could do about it. "Please don't mind him," she said, placing Altair back down on the floor near the toys he had been playing with and ruffling his bright red hair, "He'll come around in a bit… I hope."

Mae sighed and nodded, still looking rather dejected as she knelt down next to Altair and started rolling Tommy's Muggle lorry toy back and forth in front of him, capturing his attention. Andrew didn't bother to join her, though, and instead looked around the room, "There's still one more not accounted for, right?"

"Adara's taking a nap," Dinah admitted, frowning. There was definitely something going on between these two.

"I see," he agreed, and then sneezed, "Excuse me."

"That's fine. So… now that you're both here…"

"Mummy!" Tommy darted from the bathroom and ran up to latch onto Dinah's legs, "Daddy say May in trouble – Uncle Andrew! Auntie Mae!" his young attention was diverted to their two guests.

"That's right," Dinah said, resting an affectionate hand on her son's head, "Remember I said they would be visiting today?"

"Yes. May in trouble."

"So I heard. But it's not your job to be happy about that. Why don't you sit down and play with Altair and Auntie Mae? Keep them company while I go check on Adara."

"M'kay," he agreed, plopping onto the floor.

"Andrew?" Dinah encouraged, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head that suggested she might get annoying if she tried too hard to play matchmaker here, "You should join them."

"What?" the young man, apparently distracted by staring around the room aimlessly, took a moment to register that she was speaking to him, "Oh. Yeah, I suppose so…" he lacked more enthusiasm than usual as he cautiously went over to join the group just as Severus came out of the bathroom, tucking his wand into his robes. Obviously, _something _Tommy had done in there required some kind of spell to fix it. But, again, Dinah didn't have time to ask.

"I'm going to check on Adara," she informed him.

"I'll go with you."

"No!" she shook her head, "You stay here and keep these four company."

"Why?" her husband demanded, obviously still in his bad mood from when he had snubbed Mae, "They are perfectly fine here for ten minutes and-"

"Severus," she ordered, "Talk to your students."

"I do not talk to my – ow!" he glared at her when she elbowed him and tried to give him a meaningful look, reminding him that he was supposed to be spying on Mae and Andrew's behavior. Her sneaky Slytherin from a week ago was not living up to his sneakiness and frankly she found it annoying. Granted, grouchiness was a Slytherin trait too but, unlike in that stupid letter which she was slowly starting to forget about there was no real 'correct' Slytherin mentality.

"Fine," Severus was snarling, and not looking very happy about it, "But make haste, will you?"

"I'll be done when I'm done," she said airily, leaving him to the group before heading into hers and Severus's bedroom, shutting the door behind her and leaving the busy main room behind to enter peaceful, dim quiet. "Adara?" she whispered, making her way slowly towards the cot. It was the baby's time to wake up now, but she didn't want to frighten her awake either.

Dinah smiled when she saw some shifting around in the blankets, and she leaned over the cot to look into the big grey eyes of Lucy and Sirius's little daughter. They were open and alert, but quiet, just taking in her surroundings. "Good morning. Did you have a nice nap?" Adara's features shifted into a big smile and Dinah melted a little. She did miss when Maylene and Tommy were this young, sometimes.

"Good," she cooed softly, waving her wand to lower the side of the cot and lifting the four-month-old into her arms, "But I see that it's time to get up now, isn't it? I'm sure your brothers miss your pretty face. Well, Owen has… other things on his mind but that's usually your cousin May's fault…" she heaved a dramatic sigh, "Oh, what am I going to do with her, 'Dara? Let's go outside and visit with the others, okay? And we'll get you something to eat."

Dinah carried Adara out into the main room to find that Mae had taken to playing with Tommy and Andrew with Altair with little overlap. Severus sat silently on a kitchen chair facing them with his arms folded across his chest and a glare on his face, and Dinah had a feeling that he hadn't been talking to them at all.

"Would you _please _help me out here?" she hissed under her breath, walking over to stand next to him so only he could hear her.

"I am… observing," he retorted in his defense, "Is that not something else that we are supposed to do? I can get as much useful information from observation as I can from speaking to them. For instance… well, we'll discuss it later."

"You noticed something?'

"Various things. But now is not the time. The boy is coming for you," he pointed behind her and Dinah turned around to see that, indeed, Tommy had left Mae and was hurrying up to her.

Mae, despite Tommy's sudden absence, continued to roll the lorry toy back and forth and stare at it, as though deep in thought, and Andrew gave her little more than a passing glance before going back to reading to Altair in-between occasional sneezes. Yes, this was very odd…

Her son tugging on her robes drew Dinah's attention back to reality and she looked down at him. "You gonna feed 'Dara?" he asked.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact I am," Dinah agreed with a smile, reminded of her plans, "Would you like to help me?" When Tommy nodded she exchanged a brief smile with Severus before leaving the latter in his 'observation' position and walking over to the green couch with her son and small niece. When she was comfortably settled with Tommy next to her and the baby secure in the crook of her arm she used her wand to summon over one of the bottles Lucy prepared, already warm, and offered it to Adara.

"She not opening mouth," Tommy observed, peering over Adara with his usual inquisitive expression, "Can I try?"

She smiled, and heard Severus make a noise of amusement from his observation post. "Of course. Here you are, come a little closer and get on your knees and give it a try," she offered the bottle to Tommy and turned a little towards him on the couch, opening her arms a bit so he could more easily access Adara. Surprisingly, when he held the bottle in front of the infant's lips she immediately began drinking.

Dinah's smile softened as she watched a similar expression form on her son's face, while he watched in wonder as Adar a suckled the bottle. "You did well," she said, kissing the top of his head, "See? She's drinking."

"Uh huh…" Tommy smiled at Adara again before turning his gaze up to Dinah, "That special milk?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it is," she agreed, "Now, now, hold the bottle upright so Adara can drink easily," she corrected gently, helping her son to hold the bottle.

Tommy had that thoughtful look on his face again. The one he usually got before he got into something. "It taste different from regular milk?" he asked Dinah.

She felt her eyebrows shoot up her forehead before her brain even finished registering her son's words. Coming from some children that might have been an innocuous, innocent question, but Tommy was a special case. She turned her confounded expression to Severus and he returned it with a raised eyebrow of his own. Even Mae and Andrew were brought out of their individual reveries by Tommy's comment, turning stares to the couch.

"Uh… I imagine so, dear. But, you see, nobody is supposed to ever remember that." She took the bottle from her son's hands as Adara appeared to be finished, "You do not need to be getting into any of this, do you understand me, Thomas Edward Snape?" she said, waggling the bottle in front of his gaze, "That would be… as your sister would say… very gross."

Tommy flushed in embarrassment and nodded, "Just wonnered…."

"You haven't gotten into these already, have you?" Dinah pressed. When her son shook his head 'no' she emphasized, "Then I need you to promise me that you won't get into them today either."

"I promise," he insisted. And she did believe him. Her son was not a liar. Still, she would feel more comfortable after Lucy came and took the bottles away tonight.

"All right," Dinah smiled, shifting Adara to her shoulder to burp her as Tommy snuggled in next to her, quietly watching. It was so nice and relaxing having a baby around to cuddle, Dinah thought. She would be a little sad when their young guests left. Then again, it would also be nice to get the baby cot out of hers and Severus's bedroom…

A few quiet minutes passed as Andrew finished reading the book to Altair. Almost immediately the little boy pointed to another one.

"Aww," Mae cooed, "Andrew, he wants you to read to him again."

"Yeah, I guess…" Andrew agreed a bit awkwardly, his face flushed to match his nose.

"Altair loves being read to," Dinah explained with a smile, "He's just like his Mum." Andrew and Mae generally spent more time with hers and Severus's children than Lucy's and Sirius's, and so they didn't really know them as well. Plus, the little one-year-old had grown quite a bit over the past summer. He was at that age, after all.

"You should do it," Mae hesitated and then scooted over to sit next to Andrew, "This looks like a good book, Altair. Is it one of your favorites?"

Altair nodded and Mae smiled at him. He seemed to understand a lot more than he could say, Dinah thought. He listened attentively to all sorts of complex comments and questions and always responded appropriately. Dinah had a feeling he was probably highly intelligent. Lucy worried about his quietness, but a lot of quiet children turned out to be brilliant. Maybe Dinah could pull out some of her sociological case studies on the subject that she'd had to research in her Muggle university days and share them with her friend.

"Well… all right. One more," Andrew relented. As a typical male he did not fawn over the children quite as much as Mae did, but he did like them a lot, Dinah could tell. Mae, for her part, gave Andrew a slight, shy smile, and after a moment he put an arm around her shoulders and they cuddled up to each other as he began reading to Altair. For a moment, the young couple seemed to be all right.

Dinah glanced at Severus and he just shrugged. They were still not any closer to discovering the underlying cause of whatever was going on between the two. But at least there were still good moments.

After ten more unusually quiet minutes Dinah decided that Adara's burping had been a success and moved to allow Tommy to clamber onto her lap and hold the baby with her. Andrew and Mae had finished reading with Altair and moved on to helping him with a puzzle. The quiet was almost unnerving… something was missing.

"Hmph," Severus muttered with a glance at the clock on the wall, "A half hour has passed, I suppose I should go and release the other two," he finally moved from his appointed spot and headed towards the children's bedrooms, and Dinah very quickly realized what had been missing.

"A half hour _again_, Severus?" Dinah chided her husband, "You know most people keep their children's time-outs to ten minutes."

"I am not most people."

"Clearly," she chuckled. "Your uniqueness is one of the many reasons I married you. But I do feel bad for the poor children."

He just smirked at her before first opening the door to Tommy's room, "You are permitted to leave."

Dinah turned her head and watched over the back of the couch as Owen appeared in the doorway. He frowned, his forehead wrinkling and looking like an odd combination of a disgruntled Sirius and a desperately sorry Lucy. "I'm sorry, Uncle Sev."

"I know," Severus said, placing a brief hand on the boy's head, "However, even though you are sorry, the next time Maylene comes up with one of these ridiculous ideas you are going to go along with it, aren't you?"

Owen shrugged, "Probably. She needs help!"

Severus sighed, "If you _must _be helpful, could you not help _adults _instead of Maylene? It would help us all immensely if you did not listen to her."

"I'll try," Owen replied. But Dinah knew, and she knew Severus also knew, that the next time Maylene came up with something Owen would be only too happy to join her… to 'help'.

"Maylene," Severus opened their daughter's door next, "you are free to go."

"_Finally_!" she exclaimed, rushing out in sharp contrast to Owen.

"Excuse me?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," she flushed, "Sorry, Daddy."

"That's better."

"Auntie Mae! Uncle Andrew!" Maylene darted around the couch to visit with the two students, still sitting with Altair.

As they greeted her in return, Owen walked over. "Hi," he said, "Remember me? I'm Owen. That's 'Tair. He doesn't talk much. He can! He just doesn't."

"Of course we remember you," Mae said, smiling, "Hi Owen. You and Altair have both grown so big! And I think your brother communicates just wonderfully for his age."

Owen grinned and nodded, "He does good. I help him lots. Aunt Dinah's got our baby sister 'Dara. Mummy's probably gonna have another baby soon."

Dinah couldn't help but start giggling at Owen's comment. She heard Severus let out a snort of laughter and turned to see that he had covered his mouth and was trying, not very successfully, to hide his amusement. At least it might put him in a better mood. After all, he was the one always making snide comments about Lucy's child birth rate. Really, it was only Altair and Adara that had come one right after the other, but both Dinah and Severus really had no doubt that the Blacks would have at least one more child. Whether it would be 'soon' or not, as Owen said, was a different story.

"Oh… that's nice," Mae agreed awkwardly, and Dinah had to cover her own mouth so she didn't laugh further at the two students' baffled expressions.

"Papa took Mummy on a surprise holiday so they can be…" he frowned in concentration before turning to where Maylene was hovering over and staring down at the puzzle Andrew and Altair were working on, "May, what'd you say they was doing again?"

"Being snuggly and gross," she declared, plopping down in between the older and younger boy and grabbing a puzzle piece, "You know. You've seen it. They do it all the time." Another snort of laughter from Severus, and Dinah shot her husband a grin. He also liked to make fun of Lucy and Sirius's public displays of affection the most out of everyone. Mae and Andrew laughed a little, too.

"Yeah," Owen shrugged, "but that's just them. It's normal. Aunt Di and Uncle Sev do it too. Just not as much. 'Tair, you want to help Maylene put the puzzle together?"

The little boy nodded and shifted over, thumb in mouth, to sit next to Maylene. "This is an easy one!" Maylene declared, putting a couple of pieces in.

"Maylene, let Altair do most of it and just help him," Andrew said, causing Maylene to pout, but soon everyone was comfortably settled again and the children were working on the puzzle together, leaving Mae without anything to do again.

"So, what would you like to do?" Dinah asked her, not wanting her to feel left out as three children decidedly crowded around Andrew, making the young man appear just slightly awkward, "I know! We should do karaoke! We haven't yet this year!"

"Oh…" the seventh year girl gave Dinah a weak smile, "Thanks. I'm just not sure that I feel like karaoke today."

"Oh," Dinah said as well, feeling her face fall. Was the good moment between Mae and Andrew officially over now? As far as she could remember, her young friend had _never _turned down a fun karaoke session. Especially as, with magic, they could remove the lyrics from essentially any song and make a karaoke out of it. "Not even some of our favorite songs?"

"Mm. No. Not today…"

Mae was clearly not herself and, looking at Andrew, he seemed to either not notice or not care as he continued to do the puzzle with the children. Maylene, however, had been distracted by the talk of karaoke and now let out a groan to hear that they weren't doing it.

"It's just as well," Severus grumbled, speaking up for the first time in a while as he glanced at Dinah, "You know Maylene will simply invade the whole thing and sing one loud song after another." When Maylene giggled and nodded, he continued; "Please refrain from turning my children into Muggle brats again so soon after we've escaped the horrid summer and gotten back into magical normalcy."

"Oh, honestly, Severus!" Dinah sighed, shaking her head and taking Adara from Tommy, who was growing restless. As her son went to join the rest of the children she stood up with the tiny girl and marched over to Severus, "Here, hold a baby! Maybe it will put you in a better mood," she shoved Adara into his arms.

As expected, his defenses broke a little and he managed a slight smile as his arms wrapped around the infant and he held her upright against him. "Well, I suppose _you _are a bit young to turn into a Muggle brat." His expression further softened when she smiled and made some little gurgling noises. But it quickly changed back into a snarl when he noticed Mae and Andrew gaping wide-eyed at him. "Enough! A point from both Slytherin and Ravenclaw! How long is it going to take for you both to stop _gawking _at me like dead fish every time you see me holding a baby?" he demanded, flouncing into the bedroom and slamming the door behind him.

Dinah giggled, "So much for the better mood. Oh, Mae, stop looking so sad, you know how Sev is. He'll be fine by dinner time," she assured the girl, who once again appeared quite depressed.

"But by dinner time I _still _won't be able to produce a Patronus," she said glumly, standing and heading for the bathroom hallway. Perhaps this would give Dinah a chance to examine Andrew alone.

"You need help?" Owen said, looking up from the puzzle, "I can do that."

Mae stopped near the dining table and turned a surprised look behind her as Dinah hid a smile. After a moment, the student smiled at the boy, "Aww, thanks, sweetie, but I'm afraid this thing that I have to… do, isn't something you can help with," she told him sadly, "It is a very difficult spell that only grown-ups can perform."

"Oh," Owen said, crestfallen, "okay."

"Now, Owen, you're helping out a lot with this puzzle," Dinah said gently, kneeling next to her and smoothing his hair as Mae, looking even sadder having disappointed a child, disappeared into the bathroom. She watched Andrew, hoping that he might make some comment about Mae's behavior, but he did not. Sighing, Dinah turned her attentions back to Owen, "If you like, you can help me with something, okay?"

"Okay!" he agreed, cheering right up again.

"Good. We can set the table together."

"Why set the table?" Maylene inserted excitedly before Owen could have a chance to respond.

"Oh, I thought we might have a little mid-afternoon snack," Dinah told her daughter airily, "Who's hungry?" She laughed as she was responded to with a chorus of 'Me's' from Maylene, Tommy, and Owen, and a happy little smile from Altair. Soon they were all crowded around the table munching on cheese and crackers requested from the house elves. It did not take long for Mae to re-emerge from the bathroom hallway and join them, cheering up a little with the meal. Although there was still something obviously wrong between her and Andrew and Dinah still could not guess what it might be.

The next few hours of the afternoon went by fairly quietly. Severus consented to emerge from the bedroom and attempted to teach May and Owen how to play wizard's chess. The only reason they won a couple of times was because he kept telling him what moves to make, but it was quite adorable to see, Dinah thought. Meanwhile, Altair seemed to be attaching himself to Andrew and made the Slytherin boy read him more books. Dinah, Mae, and Tommy played on the floor with Adara for a while, until the baby became sleepy and it appeared to be time for another nap for her.

"I'll put her down," Severus offered, apparently in a hurry to get away from the chess game. Dinah didn't exactly blame him because every time they finished one the two precocious children demanded; 'Again'. And her genius husband could only handle playing games with children for short stretches at a time.

"You need help, Uncle Sev? I got a sucker for Dara if you need it," Owen said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a light pink pacifier.

"Thank you, Owen. You may come with me if you wish," Severus said, taking Adara from Dinah.

"Yes!" Owen squealed, scampering up to his uncle. "Dara takes lots of naps. Mummy says it's 'cause she's so little. Tair has to take naps too. Don't forget to make him take a nap or he'll be cranky later. Sometimes I take naps too, but not lots 'cause I'm a big boy."

"Indeed, I am sure you are," Severus said, amusement fighting with the impatience in his expression, "Perhaps when we have finished with Adara we will do the same for Altair. Surely, Andrew would like a break from reading. But if we are to put your sister down for a nap we must be _quiet_, as I am sure you realize," he raised an eyebrow at Owen.

"Oh! Yes!" The little boy said, as serious as he could be, and put a finger to his lips.

Dinah smiled as the two disappeared into the bedroom again with Adara and Maylene came over to join the rest of the group.

"Ah… another?" Andrew was saying, looking awkward as Altair grabbed another book and pointed anxiously to the pages. "I think maybe it's time to-" he cut himself off, not for the first time, with a sneeze. But there _was _a first when Altair imitated Andrew by pretending to sneeze with a tiny 'Choo' sound.

Dinah was torn as the whole room went quiet, even Maylene sensing the awkwardness of the situation. However, it _had _been highly adorable.

After a moment, Andrew laughed a little, and that made the tension ease up and everyone else allowed themselves to giggle a bit. "That's cute, Altair," Mae said, reaching out for him and pulling him into her lap, "But you probably shouldn't do that, okay? Imitating other people is… sometimes… not always nice, you know?" She smiled when Altair nodded his understanding.

Andrew was giving Mae a certain look that Dinah recognized from Severus from time to time. An awestruck look of… relief at being accepted. His smile softened and he hesitated before saying, with a hopeful expression, "Mae… are you sure that you can't just-"

"No," Mae whispered, a little sadly, shaking her head, "Not here, Andrew. Please."

The look faded and was replaced by a glum one as he shifted his gaze to the floor and said quietly; "All right. Sorry."

"No. I'm sorry," her tone was much the same as she hugged Altair tighter.

Dinah thought she might have another chance to try and get to the bottom of this, but Mae's gaze was already turned away from Andrew and shifting about the room, an obvious expression of having clammed up on the issue on her face. Her eyes finally drifted to an end table, alighting on something that she seemed to have missed until now. Something highly disagreeable. "Oh…" she inclined her head at the something with a frown, "Is that… _it_?"

Dinah frowned and nodded, placing a hand on the book with the light grey and white cover, more worn than would be normal for its age from having been thrown at walls numerous times over the past couple of months, "You haven't read it?"

"No," Mae shook her head vehemently, "I don't want to fill my head with that nonsense. Not when I know you both so well."

"Thank you," Dinah whispered, touched. Mae was probably the only student in the school that hadn't read the blasted thing.

"You're welcome. But, I'm surprised you purchased a copy."

"Oh, we didn't buy this," it was Dinah's turn to shake her head, "We wouldn't support Rita financially if our lives depended on it. This is actually the Malfoys' copy. Although they are improving, they still haven't improved enough to have considered that principle, so they did buy a copy out of curiosity. But when they found out how badly they were depicted in it they handed it off to us. It's just as well… we needed to read it. It was either take one from somebody else or borrow it from the library. And it seems the infernal students have reservations on it backed up for the next six months," she said, using Severus's favorite word after 'dunderheads'.

"It's ridiculous, it really is," Mae said sympathetically, and even Andrew nodded his agreement. "I did hear that they talked about the Malfoys a lot, though."

"Mm," Dinah agreed, grabbing the book and sitting down on the floor next to Mae, opening it up to a section in the middle that held some pictures Rita had managed to get her grimy claws on, "There's even a picture of us with their family, from Draco's engagement party to Astoria Greengrass this summer, although I have no idea of how she got ahold of it. The Malfoys insist that it wasn't them, and Severus even used Legilimency to make sure they were telling the truth."

"I see," Mae agreed, and then giggled as Altair reached a finger out to point to the image of Dinah, holding Tommy, and Severus, staring at the camera while Maylene stood below and in-between the two of them, grinning brightly and jumping around a little in her excitement at being photographed. "Yes, that's your Aunt and Uncle and your cousins, isn't it?" She laughed again, "Professor Snape doesn't ever smile in pictures, does he?"

It was Dinah's turn to laugh, "Not much, anyway. He's smiling a little bit. See? His mouth is turning up just a little right there if you look closely," she pointed at the time in concern, and then Altair looked up at her and said 'Seh', acknowledging where she had pointed. Mae gasped, happy to hear the little boy's voice, and Dinah smiled and smoothed his hair, encouraging this rare speech, "That's right, sweetheart. That's your Uncle Severus, isn't it?" She got a nod in response.

"What about me?" a deep baritone demanded, making Dinah jump as she looked up to see that Severus and Owen had reappeared from the bedroom, the former once again with his arms folded across his chest. His questioning raised eyebrow shifted into a scowl when his gaze landed on the book, "Why are you showing the students that abomination? No doubt they've already read it."

"Um… no, I haven't," Mae shook her head shyly, "And Andrew has really just skimmed parts of it. Neither one of us is really interested."

"Hmph," he barely acknowledged her comment, instead marching over to stand in front of her and extending his hands, "Give me the child," he bit out the order.

"Yes, Sir," she said softly, holding Altair out while Dinah gave her husband a reproachful look. His rudeness to Mae was getting close to the point where she would call him out on it. Luckily, a look was usually enough to stave that off. He registered it, and muttered a barely audible 'thank you' to the seventh-year as he took Altair.

"Now, Altair, squirming will not do. If you do not nap soon you will, as your brother says, be 'cranky' later."

"O," Altair said, pointing at his brother.

"See?" Owen exclaimed to the students, jumping a little in his excitement, "He talked!"

"Yes, I do see that Owen," Mae smiled, "And he did very well, too, didn't you, Altair?" Another nod, and they all just laughed.

"I'll go with you this time," Maylene said, standing and walking over to Owen and her father.

"As long as you can be quiet," Severus agreed, still trying to get Altair to stop squirming.

"He likes to cuddle Snuffles sometimes," Owen said, trying to help.

"Oh! I'll go get Rosa Stuffed Bear!" Maylene offered excitedly, disappearing in a flash to Tommy's bedroom to get the gigantic stuffed animal, one of Dinah's first baby shower gifts when she'd been pregnant with Maylene, from her Muggle friend Rosa Blake. The huge brown bear had been passed down to both of the Snape children. Somehow it had never gotten a proper name, and so it was known to all, quite literally, as 'Rosa Stuffed Bear', from when Maylene was first learning to speak.

Although Altair had initially been placed in Tommy's bedroom on Friday, they had quickly realized that having Maylene and Owen share a bedroom was not a good idea. The two had spent hours Friday night doing this and that and conspiring together and simply not going to sleep. So Owen had been ceremoniously replaced in Tommy's bedroom and Altair in Maylene's. It had proven beneficial, really. Having to share a room with a one-year-old taught their daughter some patience. _Some _patience, anyway. For two nights. After that, there were no guarantees.

"So these are the Malfoys?" Mae turned her attention back to the image in the book while they waited for Maylene's return. "Draco is... er… rather attractive, isn't he? I'd never seen a picture before," she admitted, blushing slightly.

"Mm," Dinah agreed, a slight smile forming as she stared at the picture, her thoughts quickly derailing, "So is his father…"

Her young friend burst into laughter, "He's married though, isn't he?"

Dinah chuckled, "Well, so am I. But that doesn't mean I can't look." At Severus's scoff of annoyance she turned a grin up to her husband, "Oh, I wouldn't be talking. You blush every time Lucy kisses you on the cheek."

"I DO NOT!" he shouted, flushing in embarrassment and turning abruptly with billowing robes, storming off into Maylene's bedroom with Altair. He slammed the door again behind him, not waiting for Maylene to return and leaving a quite baffled-looking Owen in his wake.

Dinah covered her mouth and giggled, "Isn't he adorable?"

"I, um… guess so," Mae laughed a little, looking nearly as baffled as Owen. Meanwhile, Andrew was giving her an annoyed look, probably from having commented on Draco's attractiveness.

"Mummy, where'd Daddy go?" Maylene asked, coming out of her brother's bedroom clutching a plush bear almost as big as she was.

"Into your room ahead of you. Don't worry, just go in there quietly with Rosa Stuffed Bear. Owen, you can go as well. Though your Uncle Severus might be a little grouchy."

"Oh, I can be grouchy, too," Maylene said, scrunching her face up to imitate one of Severus's scowls before disappearing into the bedroom of concern with Rosa Stuffed Bear, Owen following after her and entering next.

"You know, it's scarily accurate when she does that," Mae said with a light chuckle.

"I know, right?" Dinah laughed. "Well, I could show you all of the awful things that woman wrote about us in this 'abomination', or we could do something more enjoyable."

"Oh, let's do something more enjoyable," Mae agreed, "Though, if there's anything you want me to see or anything that Andrew and I can do to help you two, just say the word."

Again touched by her young friend's offer, Dinah gave Mae a brief hug, "Thank you. That means a lot. I don't anticipate any problems, but… if you can help with anything, we'll let you know."


	7. The Second Letter

**A/N: Thanks to my recent reviewer MRSSPICY and all other reviewers, favoriters, and alerters! I hope you all keep enjoying the story and please leave a review if you can! Thanks so much for your interest! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER SEVEN<p>

The Second Letter

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><p>By the time they all settled down to dinner, Dinah had gotten no further hints about what might be up with Mae and Andrew save the odd moment she had witnessed earlier and whatever Severus had noticed when she was in the bedroom with Adara. And the only thing she could determine from what she'd seen was that Andrew was pressing for something and Mae was either against it or unsure about it. But she couldn't think of what that could be.<p>

Dinner was delicious creamy chicken stew served with peas, jacket potatoes, salad, rolls and butter, and Hagrid's favorite dessert, a marshmallow-strawberry jelly dish that brought back many fond memories. "I had that the first day I was here six years ago," she said, pointing to it and wishing she could eat it now. But she shouldn't encourage her children to eat dessert first. Ever since they'd gotten old enough to pick their own food she'd had to control herself in that manner and it still drove her as crazy as it had on the very first day.

"You tell us every time, darling," Severus informed her with amusement in his gaze.

She grinned, "It would do the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor well to mind his snarky comments."

"Never," he told her affectionately, "I should also like to point out that the rest of us ate that meal, too."

"Oh, yes," Mae agreed, "They _did _serve this for dessert at our first welcome feast, didn't they, Andrew?" she asked her boyfriend, who nodded.

"Mae, please pass the potatoes," Severus said, causing the girl to turn eyes as big as saucers to stare at him. Dinah's comment had apparently put him in a good enough mood to address her directly and without provocation. But when she didn't respond or move in any way he glared a little, "Are you deaf, girl? Pass the potatoes!"

"Oh! Of course!" she blushed, handing the potatoes across to him. But she was saved from making any further comment when a flapping, scratching noise emitted from somewhere above their heads.

"Ah, that's Rowena with the _Evening Prophet_. Excuse me," Dinah said to the group, standing from the table and wandering over to the trapdoor in the ceiling to allow her beige-colored owl to enter and deliver the paper and… "Oh, and it appears we have a letter as well. In an awfully old, yellowed envelope," she mused, taking the items curiously before stroking her owl's feathers and sending her off again.

"Hm," Severus said noncommittally from the table, waiting for her to tell him more about the source of the letter.

"No return address," Dinah said, setting the paper aside and opening the envelope, sliding out an oddly-shaped bit of ripped parchment and turning it over to see what was written on it, "I wonder who it could be-" she froze and dropped the paper, her heart sinking in terror as it barely took her brain a second to register the minimal words scrawled on the parchment in a large, messy hand.

"Dinah?" Severus stood intuitively and walked over to her. She wasn't actually looking at him, but she heard his footsteps and felt his hands on her waist when he arrived. They were calming, but not nearly enough. "What is it?"

She swallowed, unable to speak over her racing heart, and pointed at the parchment. Severus's long fingers reached across to lift it up and turn it over again, as it had flipped when dropped. The large, black, all-capital letters read:

_YOU DID NOT HEED MY WARNINGS. BEWARE._

_-A_

He frowned, his features twisting into a slight scowl at the words, but in his eyes Dinah could see a carefully-concealed apprehension. "So our anonymous enemy returns."

"What is 'A'?" she asked, swallowing again, but unable to moisten her dry throat despite her efforts, "Is 'A' anonymous or is it his - or her – name? Would they do that?"

"You must relax," he murmured, running his hand up and down her back, helping her muscles to loosen a bit and her breathing to slow, "I believe A is anonymous but it is possible that our mysterious enemy's name _also _ begins with 'A' and he – or she – finds himself witty. I wouldn't put it past self-centered Death Eaters to do something like that. But it depends upon how intelligent they are."

She wasn't sure if he was going into that long-winded explanation to soothe himself or her, but it helped either way. That and his hand had her heart slowing enough to allow her to speak calmly once more, although apprehensively, "I had almost forgotten about this person," she admitted with a sigh.

"Clearly they do not want to be forgotten," he frowned, "We need to show this to Minerva before taking the next step."

"What is the next step?"

"Identification," he clarified, "Wizards never leave fingerprints, and my chemical analysis of the previous letter gave us nothing to latch onto, it's true, but I have been thinking… perhaps Lucius or Narcissa would be able to identify the penmanship or the writing style. It is not immediately recognizable to me, but each one of us knew a different crop of Voldemort's Death Eaters. They may be familiar with people that I am not. After I run another analysis to be sure, we should send both letters to them."

Dinah nodded, "That might help. But the handwriting on this letter is nothing like that on the other. Is he – or she – having different people write for them each time?" They kept adding on the 'she' bit, but she had a feeling that both herself and Severus suspected a male. Whether that was simply intuition or whether they were both completely not politically correct she didn't know, and it was irrelevant anyway. Right now.

"It is a possibility," he sighed, "It's a long shot, I know, but it is the only solution I have right now."

"And meanwhile, what are we to do here? Just sit around and wait for another letter, or worse?" she murmured, taking his hand. "You know, I'm not going to be comfortable again this time. Not after two in a row."

His fingers tightened around hers, "Minerva will know what to do. The protective enchantments will likely be enhanced further… we cannot panic as of yet. Although…" he said, turning to frown back at the note, "the fact that-"

"The fact that it was delivered directly to us this time and not to Minerva," Dinah finished his thought effortlessly as he nodded, "It is clear now. _We _are his prime targets. If it wasn't obvious in the first letter it's obvious now."

"Yes, but I believe that I am more of a target than you are," Severus said, "Though the letter was addressed to both of us this time. 'Mr. and Mrs. Professor Severus Snape', indeed," he snarled and shoved at the letter, his expression turning slightly volatile, "Why should they bring you into this at all if I am their target? The first letter said so. _I _am the traitor. Not you. They are looking for Death Eaters."

"But you are not a Death Eater," she said fiercely, suddenly irritated, "And my place is by your side, stupid. Do you think I'd just sit back and let them threaten you alone?"

He smirked at her choice of words, "That is not what I was implying, _my dear_. I am fully prepared to accept your help and I am not trying to shove you to the sidelines or be sexist and annoy your Hufflepuff values of equality. I am simply saying that this person, whoever he," he sighed, "_or she_, is, should not be bringing anyone into this, from _their _perspective, who is not their main target and has nothing to do with their old Death Eater days."

"You don't even know this person."

"I might know them. And… perhaps I am not as innocent as everyone would like to think," he said, averting his gaze slightly, "You forget, Dinah, with your image of me on a pedestal, that there was a time when I _was _a _real _Death Eater.

Dinah scoffed. She would hear none of it. "What, for two whole years between the ages of eighteen and twenty? We all make stupid choices at that age."

He looked back at her and gave a small smile, shaking his head, "Dinah. How do you do it? Make everything seem so… normal right away and make me feel better so easily?"

Dinah felt her irritation melt away and a smile form. They would get through this together. It was that simple, she thought, as they shared a brief, affectionate kiss.

"Hey!" Maylene shrieked from the dining table, "You can't be gross! It's still Auntie Lucy and Uncle Sirius's turn!"

Dinah laughed along with her husband, turning back to face the rest of the room for the first time in some time, "Oh? I didn't realize we had to take turns."

"Uh huh," their daughter nodded authoritatively.

"Oh, then I guess we'll just have to wait another few hours," Dinah said, exchanging a smile with Severus and squeezing his hand before they headed back over to the table. The children were cheerful enough, oblivious to adult conversations for the most part, but Mae and Andrew were watching them with concerned, questioning expressions.

"What do you think?" Dinah asked Severus as they settled back into their seats.

He shrugged, "Might as well explain it to them. Mae, Andrew, what you just witnessed and what we are about to tell you is not something that you need to be disclosing to your classmates or any others without express permission from Dinah, myself, or Professor McGonagall. Is that understood?"

When the two nodded their agreement Dinah and Severus took turns briefly explaining the two letters that had been received to this date, and what had been done about them or might be done about them in the future.

"And Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron might come!" Owen piped in, once again latching onto the 'auror' mention.

"Not if I can help it they won't," Severus scowled, "Now eat your jelly."

"Yes, Uncle Sev."

"Do you think we're in danger? The students, I mean?" Mae asked.

"Inasmuch as anyone who is not Dinah or myself is in danger," Severus explained to her, "But I don't know how strongly this person will go after others. It was mentioned in the first letter, but this second one makes us think that we are his – or her- main targets."

"So… this person," Andrew said, putting his finger on the letter and sneezing once before continuing, "claims that all Slytherins are, or should be, Death Eaters, essentially?"

"Andrew…" Mae hesitated.

"Well, my family aren't Death Eaters. Never have been," he said, giving Mae a rather significant look.

"We know that, Andrew," she said softly, giving her head the barest shake, "Anyway," Mae changed the subject before either Dinah or Severus could comment on anything, "do you think anything will _actually _happen?"

"That is yet to be determined," Severus said.

"Hopefully not," Dinah added.

"Well… my offer from earlier still stands," Mae said, "We'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious for you both. It's the least we could do."

Dinah smiled and was about to reply when Severus asked; "Offer?" He listened intently as she explained her conversation with Mae when he had been putting Altair to bed for his afternoon nap, briefly nodding when she was finished before turning back to Mae. "Thank you. That is appreciated."

"You're welcome," Mae said, offering him a hesitant smile.

He paused, frowning as he considered her, before finally saying, "Mae… about your Patronus issue…"

She gulped, "Yes?" and shot Andrew a grateful smile when he put his hand over hers. Dinah suppressed a sigh. Now the two seemed to be okay again. This was all very confusing.

"I would rather you did not _fail _your N.E.W.T.s," Severus was saying, his eyebrow raised.

"I don't want to fail my N.E.W.T.s either, Professor Snape, believe me," Mae said, her apprehension decreasing with the conversation. At least Severus was being civil again.

"I know you don't," he sighed, "After two weeks of practice and classwork and no progress I believe supplementary help may be necessary. If you are not opposed to extra lessons I would be willing to give them to you. Two days a week. After dinner. An hour each time. Your choice."

"Really?" Mae exclaimed, and Dinah had to smile. Severus's offer was very sweet and she had never seen the young woman look more thrilled, at least about something related to academics. "Yes! Of course. That is, if it's okay with you," she turned to Dinah, "I assume that's more time for you to tackle the children alone."

She smiled, "We discussed it as a possibility already. It's fine. You need to get the help you need, and I'm sure with the one-on-one lessons you'll produce a Patronus in no time."

"Well… I can only hope so," she grinned and then turned to Severus, "Thank you."

"I expect your full dedication in these lessons. Is that understood? No… shouting," he managed a slight smile through his stern demeanor.

She laughed, "No shouting. I promise."

"Good. Then, you're welcome. Dinah, I know you are starving but do you think you could save _some _off that jelly for your equally-starving daughter so that she stops making that face?" he demanded, causing Maylene to giggle where a moment ago she had been staring at the bowl of jelly Dinah held with a pathetic, starving puppy expression.

Dinah laughed, "Oh, all right. I wasn't going to eat it all, silly. Here," she spooned some of the remaining dessert onto her daughter's plate, smiling as Severus started up a new conversation with Mae and Andrew, no hint of his earlier snubbing of the girl remaining in his tone or demeanor.

They were friends again.

* * *

><p>"Come on," Lucy said, tugging Sirius's arm a bit.<p>

He chuckled, hurrying along the hall with her, "You'd think you didn't enjoy our weekend away," he said.

"The weekend was wonderful and perfect and I wish we could have stayed longer, but I miss my children."

"Oh, good. I thought it was Severus you were missing," Sirius teased, knocking on the dungeon room door.

Dinah opened the door with the little orange-haired Altair snug in her arms, "Welcome back, lovebirds! Yes, look, it's your Mummy and Papa," she cooed when Altair began reaching his arms out.

"Mumum!" Altair said.

"Oh!" Lucy smiled, happy to hear anything her quiet little boy said, "Come here, love. I've missed you!"

Sirius watched as Lucy accepted Altair into her arms. "I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Oh no, not at all, once we got Owen and May out of the same bedroom," Dinah grinned.

Lucy giggled, "I can imagine."

"How was your trip? Maylene says that we have to take turns being snuggly and gross and so I'd appreciate it if you told her that your turn was over for the time being so that she lets Severus and I have our turn," Dinah teased, beckoning with a wave as she headed into the sitting room, "Come on in."

They followed Dinah into the room where Owen and Maylene were 'helping' Severus brew what Lucy hoped was a harmless potion and Tommy sat watching Adara napping on a blanket on the floor. "So, Maylene, Uncle Sirius and I are back now. Does that mean it's Mummy and Daddy's turn to be snuggly and gross?"

"Hmm, nope!" May grinned, looking up at them from the potion.

"Oh, how dare you!" Dinah pretended to scold, placing her hands squarely on her hips.

Severus smirked a little and then met Lucy's gaze briefly before clearing his throat and turning to Sirius, while Dinah hid a mysterious giggle, "Your trip was satisfactory then?" he asked, placing a lid over the cauldron of the apparently finished potion and shooing Maylene and Owen off. The two eldest children hurried over, Maylene stopping at Dinah's side and Owen running to Lucy and Sirius.

Lucy didn't miss her husband's smug look before she bent down to both put Altair down and greet her oldest child.

"We enjoyed ourselves," Sirius said, "You should try going sometime. I think you'd like it."

"Oh, yes!" Lucy said, looking towards Dinah, "You'd love it, I'm sure. You, ah, might want to make sure to get a different cabin though. Not that there's anything wrong with the one we've stayed it but it might be weird for you. Knowing that's where we honeymooned and all…"

"Why should that matter to me?" Severus almost snapped, picking up Adara and carrying her over while Tommy followed at his heels. He stopped quite a few feet behind Dinah, though, almost as though he were backing off from them, "You are, after all, not the only people who have stayed in that cabin."

Lucy frowned and took a step back. Wondering what had gotten into Severus that he was so cranky with them.

"You can go use it if you want," Sirius said, smirking, "but every time you get snuggly and gross try not to think about how we were snuggly and gross in the same spot."

"Childish things like that do not affect me," Severus said, briefly smiling at Adara before turning a scowl back to them and marching forward, shoving Adara into Lucy's arms, "Take your child," he ordered, before stepping back again, arms folded across his chest and eyebrow raised.

She took her daughter, settling Adara more comfortably in her arms and smoothing out her black hair. Adara's eyes had lightened into the same grey as her father's, though for now they remained closed in sleep. Looking up as Severus she asked, "What's going on? Why are you so…Did we do something?"

Severus rolled his eyes and looked away while Dinah just laughed, "Oh, don't mind him. He's been moody all day. He's just trying to prove me wrong about something he doesn't have to prove."

"I am not!"

"Oh, you are so," Dinah insisted, causing him to growl at her.

"Mummy!" Owen tugged on her robes, grinning when she looked down at him, "Mae and Andrew came over and they read to Tair and Tommy fed Dara and let Tair use Rosa Stuffed Bear for his nap and Maylene was starving."

Lucy giggled, "Why am I not surprised by that last bit?"

"Severus," Dinah murmured, looking suddenly serious as she addressed her husband with a significant look, "We have to tell them."

"Fine," he agreed, "Then do it."

"What's happened?" Lucy asked, concerned, "Should we send the kids out of the room?"

Dinah shook her head, "No, it's fine," before heaving a sigh, "We got another letter."

"Oh," Lucy frowned, holding Adara a little tighter.

Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Was it…worse than the last one?"

"It was sent directly to us – both of us – this time and all it said was 'You did not heed my warnings. Beware'. And it was signed, 'A'," she said, drawing the letter in the air with a finger to make sure they knew what she meant.

"A?" Lucy asked, "Why A? Alpha? The beginning…Have you told anyone else about this yet?"

"We believed the 'A' stood either for his name or for 'Anonymous' or both," Severus droned, not meeting her gaze directly, "Although you present another interesting option, if this enemy of ours is trying to be symbolic. And no, we have told no one yet, but we intend to speak to Minerva about it and send both letters to the Malfoys to see if they notice any Death Eater connections I may have missed."

Sirius nodded, "Good. That sounds like a good plan."

"Have you considered sending them to…the, uh," she leaned in to whisper, "Aurors?"

Dinah looked to Severus for clarification, mouthing the word.

He shook his head, "They believe they have gone after and caught all Death Eaters they know of. Therefore, if this person is not caught, they do not know him."

Lucy nodded, taking all of this information in. "That makes sense. I…don't mean to sound selfish right now but, you don't think we're in danger, do you? I'm worried for you, of course, but that first letter mentioned my class…"

"I feel like we're his prime targets, but anyone could be in danger," Dinah said with a sigh, and then turned an apprehensive look to Severus, "She has a point. I think we need to talk to Minerva tonight, in case she wants to enhance security measures right away."

"Fine," Severus said, stepping forward, "But do not panic yet. These still may be empty threats. Lucy, Sirius, will you take Maylene and Tommy for… an hour?"

"Yes, of course," Lucy nodded, "Maylene? Tommy? Come on, we're going to go visit with Dora for a bit and maybe we can coax Snuffles to come out and play too."

"Snuffles!" Maylene was at Sirius's side in an instant, tugging on his hand and begging, "Can he, Uncle Sirius? Can he?"

"I don't see why not, but not until we get up to our rooms. Can't leave Aunt Lucy to deal with all five of you by herself."

"Not in the halls, anyway," Dinah laughed, "Tommy, go with Auntie Lucy and Uncle Sirius," she told the boy, who was looking a little too curious about the recent conversation. Dinah seemed to notice it, too, given her slight frown.

"Go on, son," Severus encouraged, ruffling the boy's hair before gently nudging him towards them. Tommy finally nodded his okay and walked over.

"All right," Lucy said, taking Tommy's hand, while Sirius lifted Altair into his arms. Maylene and Owen were old enough now that they didn't always need to hold an adult's hand. Especially within Hogwarts. "We'll see you at our rooms in about an hour then?"

"Yes," Severus agreed, his mood apparently ended, as they all shuffled out of the dungeons, he extinguished the lights behind them, and they headed up to the first floor before the Snapes disappeared in the direction of Minerva's office and quarters.


	8. A Plan

**A/N: Thanks to myrakle and Satingirl for your recent reviews! Your feedback means a lot to me and I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER EIGHT<p>

A Plan

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><p>It was not the first time Severus had seen Minerva in her nighttime robes, but it had been a long time since anyone had last had to wake up an unsuspecting headmaster or headmistress due to distressful news or a threat to the school. And he did not like the idea that things might get worse.<p>

"Dinah. Severus," she began, flustered after opening the door, "Has something happened?"

"It is not _that _late yet, you know," he managed a snarky comment and a raised eyebrow anyway.

"Yes, well, an aging, busy headmistress has a right to turn in early every now and again," she muttered, flushing as though embarrassed, "What is this about?"

Severus did not waste time in beginning their explanation, and between himself and Dinah they had filled Minerva in on the latest letter and all of their ideas and plans regarding it within five minutes.

The old woman sighed, settling herself into a plush chair in her sitting room, her brow furrowed in consideration. Severus was not used to thinking of his long-time house rival as old – or at least not as old and weary as she seemed right now. Additionally, only now with Dinah in his life could he manage to feel guilty about the fact that, right now, he wished that Albus Dumbledore was the one here to help them instead.

"I think you are making the right choices," she finally said, "If there is a chance the Malfoys might make a connection to who this person is, then by all means show them the letter and bring them into this. No matter what that horrid book says, they _are _decent people."

"They are," Dinah said, smiling a little, her eyes showing some relief. Even in crisis she was always glad to make certain that those who deserved to be trusted, were. But her expression quickly turned back to a frown, "But what about-"

"About protection here," Minerva finished, and Severus _was _pleased that she at least seemed to be on the ball on that portion of the issue, "I will enhance security measures around the castle again, this time preventing all access except by those on official business. And I will alert the Ministry and ask them to have Aurors on standby – no, not Potter, Severus," she admitted, rolling her eyes when he shot her a significant look. He did not want those boys here. After all, what would have been the point of avoiding them like the plague at the conference if he was only to be forced to interact with them a couple weeks later? Though he didn't appreciate the eye roll and showed her that with a well-timed scowl.

"Is that all that can be done right now?" Dinah was asking.

"Unfortunately, until we know who this person is, I can do nothing else," Minerva admitted.

"What about the students?" Severus demanded, as something occurred to him, "Should they be informed of this potential threat?"

"It might cause undue panic at an early stage. My instinct is to wait, especially as it seems either you, Severus, or both of you are his potential targets."

"Or are we…?" Dinah mused, "I mean, we only have two letters. Yes, the most recent one was addressed to only Severus and I but the first one was full of hostilities towards everyone in the school. Towards the school itself. Do we assume that he's zeroing in on us now or that it's just random? For all we know, his third letter could go to Lucy."

"I sincerely hope not," Minerva sighed.

Severus frowned, "We are making this too complicated at too early a stage. You watch too many Muggle crime shows."

"I hardly watch those at all," his wife protested, "I prefer animated films and romantic comedies."

"You watch plenty of Muggle crime shows," he retaliated, not giving up his point, "Besides, we need to talk to the Malfoys and involve others in this before we go off half-baked trying to solve a mystery on our own. Remember what Gellert said. Apparently we're very bad at it."

"Oh, we were just kids then," she grinned, "Besides, we might have been wrong about everything but we had fun speculating. Although, I do agree that we need to approach this slowly. We also have other things to consume our time now," she sighed, "We should go pick them up. It's already past their bedtime."

"Yes," he sighed, thinking back fondly on their youthening days but, like Dinah, realizing that they had a great deal more responsibility right now and that with small children the stakes were much higher for them with regards to any potential danger at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Minerva," Dinah said, "Is there anything else you want to know or that we need to know?"

"I have nothing else. You will let me know if you discover anything further, won't you?"

"We will. Good night," he gave the headmistress a curt nod and then led Dinah from the room. "It would be best to talk to the Malfoys about this in person," he said to her in undertone when they were outside of Minerva's quarters, "Sending either of those letters by owl is not wise. Instead, we should write a note and find out when would be a good time to Apparate to Malfoy Manor. Preferably within the week."

She nodded, "That sounds good to me."

* * *

><p>"So… what did you notice with Mae and Andrew while I was in with Adara?" Dinah asked her husband as they sat curled up together reading separate books against the head of their bed. The children were sound asleep by now and what with everything surrounding the letter she had almost forgotten to bring this subject back up again. "That is, if you think this smaller, less dangerous mystery isn't too much for us to handle," she teased.<p>

"Hm," he gave a slight laugh and adjusted their positions a bit so that he could face her, sliding his hand along her shoulder and pushing her hair back behind it, "They were sitting on the floor and Mae was showing Altair that infernal Muggle vehicle toy while Andrew entertained our son. They did not speak to each other for some time but when Altair became bored with Muggle vehicles and chose to take on more intellectual pursuits by having Andrew read to him and Tommy came to Mae in his place… there was some chaos as the boys switched places and Mae made a few… suggestive comments to Andrew."

"Suggestive?" Dinah teased, "Not in front of the children!"

"Not that kind of suggestive!" he snarled, "Let me finish this tale before you berate me for my non-use of slang."

"Oh, relax," she patted his hand, "And that's hardly slang, really. Anyway, what did Mae say?"

"She began talking idly, as though not to him, and said something along the lines of, 'You see, even in this house they play with Muggle toys. Look how the worlds interact so harmoniously here. Even with their background, they make room for everything'."

Dinah laughed, "Something along the lines of? Why do I have a feeling that was word-for-word?" When her husband smirked at her she just continued, "Then what was Andrew's response?"

"He brushed the whole thing off. The topic seemed to make him uncomfortable, his discomfort rubbed off on her, and they were silent again, going back to their respective tasks."

"So the lorry toy and Muggle toys in general was the problem subject," she frowned, trying to put this together in her head. "Given his pureblood upbringing and his use of the term 'Mudblood' in his first year we know that that part of their lives could theoretically be a point of contention between them but it really never has been. He has no disdain for our Muggle items. At least he's never shown much beyond an occasional eye roll, mostly when Mae and I go on one of our karaoke sprees. _You _are more disdainful towards them than he is, as a general rule."

"This is hardly about me," Severus said, "And did you notice anything during the times when I was gone?"

"Yes. Mae and Andrew had one affectionate moment, and then later she said something accepting of his… sneezing issue that seemed to make him quite happy, and he seemed like he tried to broach the subject of whatever it is that is causing a rift between them, but she cut him off and told him no. Then they went back to being distant with each other."

"I doubt the sneezing issue has anything to do with their problem. It simply softened him up enough to, as you say, try to broach the subject. That would seem to imply that he wants to fix the problem, and she… but no, she must want to fix it too, given what she told me on that first day when the Patronus issue began."

"She's much more logical that he is, though, as a Ravenclaw," Dinah allowed, "She's so Hufflepuff-like too that sometimes I forget it, but I bet the issue here is that, although they both want to solve the problem, they are approaching it from different perspectives and they are both inclined to want to use different methods."

"Excellent, but you forget one important thing," Severus smirked, "We still do not know what this problem of theirs _is_."

"No, but there _is _that bit at dinner that we both noticed. Andrew was talking about his family not being Death Eaters and Mae agreed with him, but _very _quickly changed the subject. You know as well as I do that she was trying to divert our attention from it."

"So it has a connection of some sort to Andrew's family?"

"Perhaps they've done something. That he feels he needs to defend them."

"But despite changing the subject, Mae expressed understanding for his comment," Severus shook his head, "It's different from or more complicated than that. But we know very little about the Speasys themselves, only that they raised Andrew with a large amount of pureblood pride, but nothing so strong he couldn't fight past it the moment he fell for a girl who was Muggle-born. And he's never looked back."

"No," Dinah murmured agreement, frowning and chewing on a nail, "he really hasn't. But maybe his family is the problem. You know, come to think about it, neither Mae nor Andrew have ever talked about them much. They talk about her family – we know that they are wary of Andrew but have essentially warmed up to him. But they never talk about his."

"Then perhaps that is where we need to guide the conversation if we get an opportunity, and if this problem between them continues."

"If we do get an opportunity we need to be both careful and subtle," Dinah agreed, setting her book down on her bedside table, "But it is worth a try. Now, shall we go to sleep?"

"After our obligatory good-night kiss?" he smirked, his hands lightly trailing along her neck and into her hair as his lips captured hers and his tongue lightly caressed their edges and then the inside of her mouth when she allowed him access, "Yes," he finally agreed when their lips parted.

But she did not let them be apart for long. She pulled his head down to her for another kiss. As they fought with each other's lips and clothes and shifted their bodies to lie down under the covers she thought how amazing it was that he turned her on just as much now as he had when they first met. They were lucky that way. Nothing ever got old or lost its excitement… just more proof that they were one-hundred percent perfect for each other.

"Mummy? Daddy?" a small voice murmured from the doorway.

It was also amazing that they could switch so easily from a moment of passion to a moment of quiet, affectionate laughter, and it was just as wonderful, only in a different way. "Well, perhaps tomorrow," she smiled as they parted. Getting interrupted was not unusual. Luckily, like now, it was always at a point where nothing had gotten too intense yet as to make the children ask questions.

They looked over to see Tommy standing there, clutching the gigantic Rosa Stuffed Bear and looking up at them with sad, scared eyes. "What is it, baby?" Dinah asked their son.

"I had a bad dream."

"Oh," she said gently, sympathetically, before turning a questioning gaze to her husband.

He gave a slight smile and nodded, turning to Tommy, "Come in. You may stay here tonight."

It took seconds for their little boy to dive in-between them, snuggling under the covers and clutching his bear tight.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" Dinah asked, smoothing his hair, but he shook his head 'no'. Generally, their subdued little son just wanted to forget about it and get a good night's sleep, not talk about it, although sometimes he told them the details in the morning. "Okay," she murmured, kissing his forehead, "Then just get some rest." He nodded his agreement. Sometimes he got as quiet as Altair.

"Good night," Severus told him, mimicking Dinah's gestures to give Tommy's head a pat and a kiss, before her husband laid his own head back down on his pillow for sleep.

As Dinah settled into her own pillow she smiled to see that their son was already out, and then exchanged a warm glance with Severus, knowing they both felt the peace their little home and family had brought into their lives. And she was again struck by the sheer beauty of her handsome husband as he closed his eyes to welcome sleep. Looking at him, and Tommy, and thinking of Maylene all snug in her own bed, she took a moment to be thankful for everything she had. Such peace and comfort and happiness was nothing short of a miracle.

And, she thought as she let her own eyes close , it was most definitely not something she would give up for some stupid sadistic Death Eater who thought Voldemort had the right idea.

No. No matter what any letters said, she would protect her family and keep them safe and happy. It was a promise that she made to herself now, but it was also something she had always known.


	9. The Students' Dilemma

**A/N: Thanks to MRSSPICY and all my other earlier reviewers! This is the chapter you've all been waiting for! (I think). I'm glad everyone seems to like Mae and Andrew. I've grown rather attached to them :)**

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><p>CHAPTER NINE<p>

The Students' Dilemma

* * *

><p>"Now," Dinah began as she addressed her class full of Seventh Years on Monday, "It's been a fairly easy first two weeks in class, but now it's time we started getting into some heavier material. After all, this is your seventh year here, and a number of you are going to be taking a N.E.W.T. in this class. Could I have a show of hands, please, on who thinks they will be electing to take that option?"<p>

As expected, about half the class's hands went up. When Dinah had begun teaching here six years ago, the Muggle Studies course had been revamped to make it a required class for first, fourth, and seventh years. Unfortunately, that meant all the seventh years had to take a N.E.W.T. in the course the first year. But they had quickly adjusted that and made it optional. After all, a N.E.W.T. in Muggle Studies was only required for a select handful of jobs.

"All right," she agreed, "That's good, about half of you are interested. I have a parchment that I'm going to set on my desk, so if you would please sign your name on it before you leave if you plan to take the N.E.W.T., then I can adjust class assignments accordingly. You may have an extra assignment here or there so it might be a bit more work for you, but it will be worth it.

"Now, this year I'd like to really focus on your critical thinking skills. As I'm sure you all know from fourth year or other years with me, unlike in your other classes there are few 'right answers' in this course. I am more interested in your ideas and interpretations, even speculations. That's how we can start to better understand ourselves and each other, by looking at things from many different angles and coming up with new perspectives on familiar issues. That said, I would like to begin our next section by looking at – yes, Mr. Lee, what is it?"

Porter Lee lowered his hand, "What about those of us who want to go to Durmstrang this year for the Triwizard Tournament? Should we even bother with this class if we're just going to leave and we don't want to take a N.E.W.T.? I know for a fact that they don't teach Muggle Studies there so it's not as if there's any point in going through it these first few months if we're not going to get anything out of it."

Dinah frowned, "Mr. Lee, this is a required class as long as you are at Hogwarts. Whether you are going to Durmstrang or not or taking a Muggle Studies N.E.W.T. or not, until you leave here it is important for you to be exposed to these lessons. _Especially_, I think, if you are going to a school such as Durmstrang which doesn't admit Muggle-borns, although I continue to press Headmaster Petrov to change that and I do believe he is weakening on the issue."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. You are here in this class and you will participate. In fact, I planned for the section we cover after this one to be on schools of that sort. I'd like us to discuss the issue of Muggle-born education throughout the world and the positive and negative ways in which it is, and can be, approached. Actually," she said, as the thought occurred to her, "Why don't I get a show of hands of those of you who are thinking to apply to travel to Durmstrang this year? It will help me customize the assignments I give you, especially those of you who are N.E.W.T.-takers."

She was again not surprised to see nearly every hand in the room raised. But Andrew was one of the few students whose hand did not go up, and Lee noticed it at the same time she did. "Not planning to go to Durmstrang, Sneezy? I thought _all _Slytherins wanted to go there!" the Gryffindor boy taunted.

Andrew growled a little and stood up from his chair to turn around and face the other boy down, "It's _Speasy_, and no, I don't want to go. I have more important plans for this winter and I have to stay here. Not that it's any of your business, Lee."

Lee snickered, "Wait, I get it. I heard the Ravenclaw girls talking and Mae said she wasn't sure if she wanted to go yet or not. You want to stay because of your _girlfriend_, right? But word's out that there's something going on between you two. You're spending a lot less time together than normal. John says he thinks you did something to make her mad."

Andrew took a moment to sneeze a few times before saying, "I don't give a _damn_ what Wortham thinks, Lee! Both Mae and I are staying here!"

"Oh?" Lee raised an eyebrow, "You're going to force her?"

He flushed, "_No_, I am not going to force her."

"What _here _is so important for you to stay?"

"None of your business!"

"Boys! Boys!" Dinah hurried down from the front of the room to get in-between them, needing to put a stop to this. Although half of her wanted to wait and see if Andrew said anything more revealing, she pushed that part aside and concentrated on restoring order to her class, "There is no need to argue. We are adults now and this is the middle of class. Please take your seats this instant."

"But he-" Andrew began, pointing.

"Andrew," Dinah said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder and shaking her head.

For a moment he just stared at her, but then he sighed and nodded, sitting back down, "He's not worth my time anyway," he muttered.

"I was just asking," Lee muttered, settling into his own seat.

Dinah sighed and shook her head again, making her way back to the front of the room. No matter how many years passed, those boys just could not get along, although they had improved significantly since first year, she supposed. Of more concern, still, was what was up with Mae and Andrew. Despite the new information she had just gotten, she felt she was no closer to figuring it out.

* * *

><p>"Again!" Severus demanded, his frustration building.<p>

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Mae shouted, stretching out her wand. But, again, absolutely nothing happened. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed before he could come up with any words of admonishment. "I really am trying, you have to believe me!"

"I believe that you _think _you are trying," he snarled, "But that is all I am certain about at this point. I offered you these late lessons in the hopes that some one-on-one training would at least bring about some improvement. But the fact that absolutely no light is being produced from your wand to form even an inkling of the Patronus charm is slowly diminishing my confidence in your abilities in your current state. I am now convinced that you cannot fix the charm without fixing the underlying problem. So tell me what that is," he ordered, folding his arms across his chest and fixing her with a glare, "You know what it is. It is simply a matter of facing it down. Now explain."

Mae just stared at him for a moment, looking shocked and a little terrified at the direction the conversation had taken, "I- I can't!"

"Then you will never produce a Patronus and you will fail your N.E.W.T.s," he was not patient enough to be sympathetic, "Explain."

"It's- it's nothing," she swallowed, "We're just having a little disagreement about something. Why should that be enough to ruin my ability to produce a Patronus? Like I said, it doesn't destroy the good moments we spent together."

"Clearly there are underlying factors exacerbating this problem," he repeated, "That much is obvious. It is the only thing that would turn _you _into this. A witch or wizard's powers don't just decrease for no reason. It is connected to your mental state."

"Even if I tell you or anybody else about the problem, it's not going to change it. So why does it matter?"

"Being aware of the situation, there may be ways to combat it or at least get around it. But I have to know what we are dealing with here to know if that's possible."

"It's private."

"It has something to do with Andrew's family." There. So much for being subtle as Dinah had wanted. Well, he was too frustrated to bother with things like subtlety. It was either deal with continued incompetence from someone who should not be incompetent, or not be subtle. He chose to not be subtle.

"They hate me, all right?" Mae exclaimed, blinking back tears. Severus was too shocked by her outburst to discipline her for yelling again, and so he just frowned and listened to her explanation. "At least they almost do. It's fine. I'm used to it, but all this year Andrew's been going on about how he wants us to spend the Christmas holidays with them, maybe spend some weeks during the summer with them. He doesn't want me to go to Durmstrang for just that reason. I know he's just trying to get them more used to me or something, but he acts like there isn't a problem! Like it's going to be just fine and whenever I express my worries on the issue he just brushes them aside. Why is he pushing me on this so fast? I'm not ready!"

Severus took a moment to process this information. It would be a lie if he thought he could make sense of it for her, or even offer much in the way of advice. But he could try, at any rate. "I see."

"Well, you wanted to know," she muttered, staring down at where she fiddled with her wand in her hands, though it appeared she was staring through it to the floor. Or even staring through the floor. "I can't spend a week with those people. I know they're Andrew's family and they aren't Death Eaters or anything, but the mindset is close to the same. They accept that he loves me, but… they still barely tolerate me. I've been there for the day before but never for any length of time. I know Andrew wants them to accept me but shoving me into their presence for days is not going to help do that."

"And Andrew… believes that this is not a problem."

"Isn't that what I just said?" she demanded, turning a glare up to him, "I tell him I'm worried and he tells me 'don't'. He grins at me and says it'll be a fun trip, they'll get used to me, etcetera. Well, I don't think it's going to happen like that. He wants it to happen through… osmosis or something. He never tries to explain to them why their opinions are wrong or why I'm worth liking. He just keeps expecting them to do it on their own. Why does he think that?"

"I cannot interpret the whims of a family I do not know."

"But you know Andrew. And you… you know that… 'type' of family, don't you?" she flushed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask you that."

"No," he snarled, "You should not. But I will let it slide for the time being. If you are thinking about how Dinah and myself have embraced both worlds and how even the Malfoys, for example, have come to accept our union, you must understand that things like that take time."

"Oh, _I _understand that," she insisted, "That's just the point. Andrew doesn't want to give them time! I don't understand this. He's never… suggested all of these types of things before. He's let me go at my own pace until now and suddenly he's acting as though we have to rush things. Why? Why does he keep telling me it will be fine and ignoring all of my deepest concerns? He _knows _how uncomfortable I am around his family, so why?"

"Perhaps their opinions have changed since you last saw them?"

"No," she shook her head bitterly, "They haven't changed. I know they haven't. It will take years for them to change. The fact is that I'm a Mudblood and they don't want me with their son."

"Ten points from Ravenclaw for referring to yourself as such," Severus growled. He had absolutely no tolerance for that word. "And if this is what is preventing you from performing the Patronus charm then I suggest you take care of the situation sooner rather than later. No one is forcing you to do what Andrew wants. Simply tell him 'no'. Explain that it will take more time to get through to his family."

Severus was surprised when Mae offered him a smirk such as one he might give her, "You seriously don't think I've done that already?"

"Ah… yes… well…" he broke off with a growl, cursing himself inwardly for allowing himself to become flustered in front of a student, even for a moment and even if she was a friend. "The _point_, Mae, is that you either fix this issue or you don't produce a Patronus."

"So there's no way around it," she confirmed, biting her lip and looking like all hope was lost.

He sighed seating himself at his classroom desk, "I don't know. Perhaps... Perhaps there is a way we can come up with a happy memory that bypasses those issues in some way, but I need more time to research that particular angle. I suggest you do the same," he waved her off, "Your lesson is over for the day."

"So you're not giving up on me?"

Sighing again, he looked up at his young friend, "I am not giving up on you. But you must do your part. Research ways around this emotional barrier to perform the charm, and try to solve this problem with Andrew. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she said with a shaky nod, "I'll do that."

"Good. Then we will discuss this further at your next session. Get back to your common room. And," he added as she began to leave the room, causing her to turn back around. He smirked at what he was about to say but realized after so many years with Dinah that it probably needed to be said, "I am… certain that everything will work out eventually." Merlin, it still sounded strange to say such things to his students. But it wasn't entirely disagreeable, especially when she smiled in response.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," she said, before turning and leaving the classroom.

* * *

><p>"Oh, poor Mae," Dinah murmured, sitting next to Severus on the couch that evening and going through some essays she had to grade. He had just told her everything he had discovered about Mae and Andrew's problem at his private lesson this evening. The situation was no longer a mystery, at least most of it. They still didn't know what Andrew was thinking and why he was brushing aside all of Mae's worries, and Dinah suspected they probably needed to before they could come up with a solution to this problem.<p>

"Is Auntie Mae all right?" Maylene asked, shoving her way onto Dinah's lap and forcing her to put down her parchments lest they get crumpled.

"Yes, sweetheart," Dinah assured, smoothing her hair, "She's just going through a little problem, that's all. But she can handle it, so don't you worry."

"Uncle Andrew will help," Maylene decided, reaching for a quill, "Can I help grade?"

It was sad, in a way, Dinah thought. That her daughter's automatic assumption that Andrew would certainly help could be so erroneous on this point. She didn't even realize that Andrew was the _problem _in this particular situation. But children had such confidence in the relationships that made sense to them. Maybe it was a sign. That Mae and Andrew would eventually work things out again. "Hmm, why don't you practice your own writing instead, okay?" she asked, handing her a blank parchment, "Or draw a picture of your brother with the kitty," she said, pointing to where Tommy was playing with Gel on the floor. Godric was a little old for that now and so he was curled up on Severus's lap, but summarily dumped onto the floor when her husband stood to go examine the potion he had bubbling on the table, prepared to do some analyses on the latest suspicious letter.

For the next hour or so Severus fiddled with his potions and Dinah attempted to get some grading done while Maylene chose to do both drawing and writing on her own parchment and Tommy played with the animals. Then Dinah's husband made a declaration.

"Rose water."

"Rose water?" she asked, turning to look at where he held a tiny piece of the letter paper up to his nose with a pair of forceps, frowning as he sniffed at it.

"Yes, there are traces of rose water on both the letter and the envelope," he said, setting the forceps down, "That's all I noticed."

"And does that tell us anything?" she asked, starting to feel like she _was _in a Muggle crime show.

"It tells me nothing, but perhaps someone else can make a connection. And it is something else to tell the Malfoys on Wednesday evening." They had quickly received a response owl from their friends indicating that that was a satisfactory time to Apparate over for a short meeting. "Rose water is not an especially common potions ingredient."

"I think Rose water is used in some French desserts," Dinah said, "and other cultures, but I can't quite remember…" she stood abruptly and made her way towards the bedroom, "I'll run an internet search on it."

"You most certainly will not," Severus snarled behind her, but she ignored him as she was already in the bedroom pulling her laptop down off of a shelf, "We are at Hogwarts, I refuse to surround myself with activated Muggle technology until we return to-"

"Too late," she grinned, appearing in the doorway with what her husband considered a highly offensive object in her hands, "It will be faster than looking through books, as cultural things are pretty synonymous in both the magical and non-magical worlds. Besides, it's only a matter of time before I get Mae to cheer up enough to do karaoke with me."

He heaved a sigh, "Why is the one spell you've ever invented also the bane of my existence?"

"Hey, if I hadn't invented that spell we might never have hit it off on that first debate day," she teased, kissing him on the cheek as she passed before settling back into the couch with her computer.

"That may be true," he grumbled, "And you did it _again_, you know?"

"Did what again?" she asked, booting it up as both of her children clustered around her to watch, turning into 'Muggle brats' just to please their father, no doubt.

"Wasted time and energy walking into that bedroom and physically carrying your computer back here when you could have simply levitated it. Your lack of magical instincts never fails to astound me."

"It shouldn't astound you, darling," she told him as she always did, "I was sixteen when my powers were discovered. Psychologically it only makes sense. Now hush." She laughed as a thought occurred to her, "I wonder if Mae Yates would still think we were so harmonious if she listened to this conversation."

"We are perfectly harmonious," he growled, walking over to stand behind the couch and look with them as if to make his point, "Now, what does this infernal machine have to tell us?"

She smiled as she pulled up the internet, "We are about to find out."

* * *

><p>"I heard you got into it with Lee in Muggle Studies today," Joseph Cantrell said, grinning wickedly from the bed across the way in the small dorm room.<p>

Andrew scowled at the other seventh-year Slytherin. Why did he always have to share such close quarters with this boy? "This school is too small for my tastes. How does everyone know everything so quickly?"

"What was the fight about?"

"None of your business!" he snapped, before feeling a wave of sneezes come on. He was used to the allergies. They were an affliction he had dealt with his entire life along with the odd looks and the mocking that occasionally came with it. Still, he had made a home for himself at Hogwarts and was just as accepted as he'd ever want to be, mostly thanks to her. Unfortunately, he still had to deal with people like Cantrell.

"Touchy," the blond boy scoffed, and then the wicked grin was back, "Hey, you remember in first year when we turned his and Wortham's robes pink and levitated them around the room so everyone could see their pants?"

"No," Andrew snapped, turning back to his book and willing his unwanted companion to shut up.

"Oh yeah, it was just around that time you decided to abandon us," Cantrell muttered, and then shrugged, "Well, no matter. We were just kids then, I guess. Still don't know what you see in that Ravenclaw Mud – Muggle-born though," he quickly adjusted his term when Andrew reached for his wand.

"You've never understood what I see in her and you never will," he retorted, "She makes me happy. That's all that matters. Now good night and shut up," he ordered, setting his book aside and extinguishing the lights in the room.

"Hey, I was still doing my homework!"

"Use your wand then. I can't sleep with all this light. And keep your voice down or you'll wake the others," Andrew ordered, shoving his head under his pillow so he couldn't hear any of Cantrell's retorts.

Andrew closed his eyes in his muffled environment and tried to sleep. But his head was spinning. He couldn't stop thinking about the words he had spoken to Cantrell. That the other boy would 'never' understand what he saw in Mae.

The same could not _possibly _be true of his parents, could it?

No. He wouldn't believe it. He had always had a good relationship with his family and his parents loved him. They could learn to love Mae too. They would have to. He would make them. And Mae wouldn't have to worry about anything. There wouldn't be a problem. He just needed to increase their exposure to her; that was all. And then everything would be okay. So why couldn't she see that and just relax about the whole thing?

It was eating at him. Their relationship was strained because of his constant requests on the issue and he knew that, but he couldn't stop now. He _needed _to increase the contact between Mae and his family.

After all, he thought as he finally let sleep overtake him, feeling confident again in his ultimate conclusion… his parents would _have _to accept Mae when he asked her to marry him.


	10. A Source of Information

**A/N: Thank you to my most recent reviewer Hbplover and all my other readers and reviewers! Sorry for the week off between chapter additions… life has been a little hectic, but I hope to return to my usual consistency now! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TEN<p>

A Source of Information

* * *

><p>Dinah followed Daisy the house elf into Malfoy Manor along with the rest of her family, as the small creature with the large eyes and ears led them to the parlor where the well-to-do former Death Eaters waited.<p>

In the years after the Second War the Malfoys had slowly been healing from their various ordeals, and it showed in the fact that their home felt a lot less detached than when Dinah had first visited. If felt warmer and more welcoming, more lived in and like a family dwelling, although that was strictly speaking in comparison terms. It was still a lot harsher and more imposing and impersonal than any _other _person's home she'd ever been in.

Still it was an improvement, and similarly Daisy's treatment had improved and so had Dinah's herself. She was their friend now. Although not as accepted as Severus, she was close. And the Malfoys did love the children.

As Daisy showed them into the parlor Dinah wondered if it would take Andrew's parents as long to accept Mae as it did the Malfoys to accept her. If so, then the poor girl had quite a few years to go. But Andrew was right, in a way. She needed to be exposed to them for that to happen. But a sudden jump from occasional day visits to week-long stays was a bit much. Increasing the exposure in slower increments would be much better. So why was the boy so intent on rushing it through…?

"Good evening Severus," Lucius, as he often did as head of the family, spoke first, nodding at his old friend and colleague, "Dinah," he added when he was finished greeting Severus.

"Severus, Dinah," Narcissa said, after they had both greeted Lucius, "Children."

"Auntie Cissa!" Maylene shrieked, rushing to the woman while Tommy hung back shyly. "Uncle Draco!" she sped next to the young man seated on the sofa and climbed in his lap, grinning wickedly.

"Come to bite me again, Maylene?" Draco teased after nodding his greeting to the rest of them. He usually greeted their daughter with that joke, since she had enjoyed biting him when she was smaller, for some inexplicable reason.

"Not today," she said, shaking her head seriously. "Mummy and Daddy need to talk about grown-up stuff."

"Indeed," Lucius said, glancing at Severus. Quite suddenly Dinah was reminded of her comments to Mae Yates the other night about how attractive Lucius was. Standing there in his high-end, luxuriant robes with his long blond hair perfectly-groomed and his high forehead giving him a stately appearance. Merlin, he _was _handsome…

And yet… When the two were standing next to each other… Two tall, imposing former-Death Eaters with long hair, one in mostly black, designer robes enhanced with velvet bits and decorative cuff-links and other baubles, and the other in all-black, flowing dungeon-bat robes with curtains of silky, greasy hair framing the face with that long nose and piercing dark eyes… the winner was clear, and she found her gaze shifting. Mm, Severus…

The man in concern turned a disdainful look towards what was certainly her flushed face and scowled.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" she found herself laughing, walking forward and placing a hand on his shoulder before whispering in his ear, "I was looking at _you_."

She enjoyed seeing his face flare up at that comment. Lucius raised an eyebrow at their little innuendo and Narcissa just smiled at them, both Malfoys completely oblivious to what they were talking or thinking about. Merlin, she loved that. Their own private little world.

Maylene, however, was more observant than most adults. "You have to talk about important grown-up stuff, not be gross!"

Everyone laughed a little, but then Lucius nodded, "Yes, we should address the situation at hand. But first I do believe that a certain boy's birthday is approaching. Tommy?"

"Yes, Uncle Lucius. On…" Tommy's brow furrowed in consideration.

"Thursday," Dinah supplied for him with a smile, "Which is tomorrow."

"Right! We have party!" he grinned at his slightly intimidating 'uncle'.

"I am sure you will enjoy it," Lucius said, and then turned to his wife, "Narcissa?"

"Here you are," she conjured up a medium-sized gift box in grey wrap with a green ribbon and stepped forward, holding it out to Tommy, "Happy Third Birthday."

Like the small child he was, Tommy gasped and his eyes lit up as he reached for the gift, "Thank you!" His face held such childlike joy that everyone couldn't help but smile, "Can I open it?"

"I do believe that's what gifts are for," Lucius said, his normally hard expression softening slightly at Tommy's excitement.

"Yay!" His shyness forgotten, Tommy scrambled over to where Severus had seated himself on the other side of the couch from Draco and Maylene and climbed into his lap, "Daddy I got present!"

"Indeed, I can see that," Severus said with a slight smile, securing an arm around Tommy so that he did not fall, "Do you intend upon opening it?"

He grinned and nodded and tore open the paper as they all watched. The box underneath the wrap was plain, also grey, and showed no indication of what might be inside. When Tommy was having a hard time getting the flaps open Severus cast a spell to open the parcel, and their son reached inside a plethora of green wrapping tissue to pull out a shiny metal train engine, black and silver with hints of green and exquisite detail. On the side of the engine was the number '1'.

"Train!" Tommy exclaimed joyfully, "Daddy, train! Mummy, train!" He shoved the toy first in front of Severus's face so that Dinah's husband had to draw back slightly, and then extended it out across the room to where Dinah had settled into a chair.

"Yes, Thomas, now perhaps you should not throw it around and break it," Severus said, securing Tommy's hand and pulling it back in before peering into the box, "It appears that there are more pieces inside."

Dinah stood and walked over to join them, resting her arm on Severus's shoulder for balance as she leaned over and peered into the box and Maylene crawled off of Draco's lap to the middle couch cushion so she could hover over her brothers' gift as he pulled out two train cars, one with a '2' on the side and the other with a '3'.

Upon closer inspection, Dinah realized that the toy appeared to be a very 'Slytherin' version of the Hogwarts Express. The sides of the train were decorated with silver snakes and the coloration matched the Malfoys' – and Severus's – favored house. It was a bit… odd, but Dinah wasn't complaining as it had snakes all over it.

"The toy shop in Knockturn Alley released these just this summer," Narcissa explained with a smile, "They are fully functional when an animation spell is cast upon them and the idea is for the train cars to count up to when the child enters Hogwarts. The caboose has the number '11'. Ideally Tommy would receive one car for each year of his life but since it was only just released and he is already three we purchased them up until that point."

"It's lovely," Dinah said, "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you Auntie Cissa, Uncle Lucius, Uncle Draco!" Tommy said politely.

"Thank your Auntie Astoria as well," Draco said with a smile, "After all, in less than a years' time we'll be married."

"Okay, tell thank you her too," Tommy said, turning to smile at his train and inspect it from all angles.

"Oooh, lookit the snakes, Tommy!" Maylene said, pointing.

Tommy nodded solemnly and pointed in turn to the two coiled snakes on either side of the main engine in the front, "That one Slinky. That one Sarepta."

"Is that so?" Severus smiled, ruffling their son's hair as Dinah also offered their little boy an indulgent smile. "I'm sure you will get many hours of fun out of this gift."

"Yeah, I want to play with it!" Maylene said, reaching for it, but Tommy held it back away from her with an affronted expression.

"Now, Maylene, I am sure if you ask your brother he will let you use it, but it is _Tommy's _train," Narcissa explained, "You will get something of your own on your birthday."

"Mm. Mine!" Tommy declared, clutching the engine to his chest.

Maylene pouted a bit, but didn't argue further. Instead, she asked with a pitiful face, "Can I play with it sometime, though?"

"I play with potions set?" Tommy asked.

"But you're not big enough!" May whined, "Mummy and Daddy say so!"

"Now, May, I am sure there is something _else _of yours that you can let your brother play with," Dinah said gently, "I'm sure you two can come up with a compromise. And… well, perhaps if we are supervising you both you can play with the potions set _together_. And the train too, of course. It's good to share."

"Well… maybe…"

"Then maybe you play with train," Tommy declared, placing the engine back into the box with finality.

Narcissa and even Lucius chuckled with amusement at his declaration, before the former handed another small bag to Dinah and Severus's son, "Here are some sweets for you as well. _Those _you must share with your sister."

"Daisy!" Lucius barked before Tommy could respond, causing the house elf that still hovered around the door to the parlor to jump at being addressed by her Master, "You may ask Master Thomas what type of cake he wants for his birthday, and then you may proceed to bake it."

"Yes, Master," she agreed, before turning to Tommy, "What kind of cake would Master Thomas like?"

"Um… I like any kind," Tommy told her, treating her very politely as Dinah had always impressed upon both of her children to behave. But their son was better at it than his sister was, and Dinah was starting to suspect that he had inherited her idealism. But of course it was a little early still to tell that for certain.

"Very well. Daisy will surprise you?" the elf offered.

"Okay," he smiled, and Daisy left the room. He turned to look at Dinah, "Can I have a sweet now?"

"You may each have one piece, but no more as you will be having cake later," Dinah said with a smile, noting as usual that her children only ever asked _her _for this sort of sweet-eating permission. Because, inevitably if they asked Severus he would tell them to 'ask your mother', and if they were alone with him he would give them as many 'secret' sweets as they wanted. Or, well, at least one secret sweet, she thought, her smile widening.

The two Snape children dug into the bag and pulled out some little wrapped candies with names on their wrappers. "Ooh! Truffle!" Maylene exclaimed upon reading hers, and Tommy held his wrapper out to her for her to tell him what he got. She leaned over and read it for him, "Chocolate covered marzipan."

All too quickly, Dinah was reminded of the real reason they had come here tonight. The reason she had even cancelled a game night for this. She sighed as she watched her two children gobble up their sweets, "Marzipan, was it? How ironic."

"Ironic?" Narcissa asked, as the three Malfoys turned curious looks to her.

Dinah nodded, "It's one of the sweets that can use rose water as an ingredient."

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged glances before the latter repeated, "Rose water?"

It was Severus's turn to sigh as he lifted Tommy off of him and stood up before replacing their son on the cushion with his sister and setting the box with the train in it on the coffee table. He walked over to the Malfoys and reached into his robe pocket, producing the two letters and handing them over. "These are what we needed to see you about."

It did not take long to explain the situation to the Malfoys, and then let the other couple read the letters in turn. When they were finished they exchanged glances and Narcissa said, "The writing on the first letter. I believe I recognize it. The formal language, the script… it belongs to _that _family."

While Lucius gave his wife an uneasy nod it was Dinah's turn to exchange a glance with Severus. "What is _that _family?" she asked

Narcissa frowned, "The Airaldi family. A family of Italian descent that have been in Britain for some hundred years or so. The rose is also a part of their coat of arms. They use its decoration and its scent… well, everywhere. Which would explain the rose water on the second letter, although the script of that letter does not match."

"Why have I not heard of this family?" Severus demanded.

Lucius shook his head, "They are not Death Eaters, Severus. We only know of them because we spent a greater amount of time at the Ministry than you did during the Dark Lord's second reign. We met them there briefly under a… unique set of circumstances."

"Yes," Narcissa agreed, "They were a pureblood family, well-versed in the Dark Arts, but they generally kept to themselves. Although they subscribed to the Dark Lord's ideals they did not want to be involved in the war."

"They were cowards," Lucius said with a mocking sneer, "They came to the Ministry while the Dark Lord was away. They came seeking a means of escape and paid a great deal of money to get themselves hidden away until the war was over so they could not be recruited for the cause. They feared what the Dark Lord would do to them even if they were on his side."

"Don't mock them, Lucius," Narcissa reprimanded, "We know for a fact that the Dark Lord _did _do horrible things even to his own servants. Given a to-do-over, I most certainly would have paid for asylum as well. I _hope _you would have too."

Her husband frowned, "That is not the point, Narcissa. The point is that Severus and Dinah are requesting information about this family from us."

"So… where did they go?" Dinah asked.

"We don't know," Narcissa admitted, "No one knows. They wanted complete protection. They wanted to… 'disappear', essentially. "

"Would anyone in that family be a good candidate for having written this letter?" Severus asked.

"They had a young son," Lucius said, "and I do believe he attended Hogwarts, though I cannot remember his name. The rest of the family is aging, so I doubt they would have had anything to do with this."

"Obviously at least _one _person has to know where they are," Dinah mused, "So who was it that arranged their asylum? I doubt just anyone would have risked the punishment Voldemort would have inflicted upon them for helping people escape, no matter what sum of money they were offered."

"There is one person who would have," Narcissa murmured, exchanging a glance with Lucius.

"Who?"

The Malfoys turned back to the Snapes. Lucius had a look of disgust on his face and Narcissa's expression was more simply… disapproving before she answered them; "Dolores Umbridge."


	11. A Birthday Party

**A/N: Thank you to Kiriari and MRSSPICY for your reviews! :) This chapter is mostly filler and potentially somewhat confusing, I'll admit, but it will be only one of a VERY few filler chapters in this story. I hope to mostly keep the action and mystery going from this point forward, so just bear with me here and then things will get rolling again :) Also please note that this chapter is from Lucy's POV.**

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><p>CHAPTER ELEVEN<p>

A Birthday Party

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><p>Azkaban. Her two close friends were thinking of going to Azkaban and she was supposed to be what? Happy for them? No. Supportive? Yes. Lucy would be cautiously supportive.<p>

She straightened up from putting Adara in her bouncer and turned back to Dinah and Severus. "You're honestly going to that place? It's so…well I haven't been there since before I quit the Aurors so I suppose it could be different now but it's not a place one usually wants to visit." She noticed Mae Yates and Andrew Speasy exchanging uneasy glances and nodding from where they sat together on the couch with the birthday boy.

"Oh, it was a real treat when I was there," Sirius said, "but I had a window."

Dinah shook her head, "That's awful, Sirius. That you had to spend twelve years there. But we don't have much choice... we have to locate this family if the son is the one sending these nasty letters, and Dolores Umbridge is the only person who knows their whereabouts. Honestly, Azkaban is supposed to be much better now that the dementors are gone. I'm more disconcerted about talking with Umbridge, from all the stories I've heard of her."

"She's very…" Lucy searched for the words to describe the woman, "devious. She acts all sweet and nice but she'll twist anything you say so that it benefits her…"

"Exactly," Severus sneered, "Which is why she is the only person that would have risked helping this family escape if they paid her enough. She has no true loyalties. She will join whichever 'side' is strongest and whichever side will benefit her the most. In her way she is worse than many Death Eaters."

"That is very true," Lucy nodded, "Luckily I didn't have to work with her much at the Ministry."

"Try having her 'observe' your classes," Severus scowled at the memory.

Lucy shuddered, "No, thank you. My class has had enough scrutiny, I think." She remembered back when she was pregnant with Owen and all the troubles she'd had then.

Altair, observant child that he was, decided that was the right moment to toddle over to Dinah, tug on her robes and hold a book out to her. A rather thick book for a one-and-a-half year old, but it was one of his favorites.

Like most people, Dinah could not resist Altair's sweet silent requests, "Oh, would you like me to read that to you, sweetie?" she cooed, lifting him up into her arms and carrying him over to the sofa to sit down next to the two students and Tommy, "Of course. I know you love this one," she said, opening the book and beginning to read.

Andrew smiled, "He kept giving me looks. I think he wanted me to read to him but I was here with Tommy and so he couldn't ask me."

"It's true, you've definitely found a friend," Dinah smiled at the boy.

Lucy grinned, glad Altair didn't seem to have the same social awkwardness that she'd had. And he did seem to have a fondness for Andrew.

Severus shot the group on the couch a half smile before turning a more business-like gaze back to Lucy and Sirius, "I assume that it will not be a problem for you to take the children for a few hours on Saturday when we visit the prison."

"Not at all," Sirius assured the other man, "though according to your daughter you're supposed to use that time for being 'snuggly and gross.'"

Severus's lip curled, "Not in front of that woman we're not."

"Somebody's being snuggly and gross?" Maylene grinned, popping up out of nowhere.

"No, dear, not at the moment," Severus chuckled, placing a hand on top of his daughter's head, "Have you and Owen finished playing? Because I believe your mother was hoping to do some birthday activities soon. Your brother has been drooling at his unopened presents much the same way you do over food."

"Yes," Owen nodded at Severus, coming from the same place May had, "we're done." He glanced at his little friend before adding, "The potion has to simmer for a whole ten minutes!"

"Oh my, that is long," Dinah indulged with a smile, putting a bookmark in the book and turning to Altair, "Would it be all right if we finished this a little later, Altair? I think your cousin Tommy would like to open his presents now."

Lucy smiled as her youngest son nodded and climbed down off of Dinah's lap, popping his thumb into his mouth in the process. "Owen, would you like to give Tommy our present?"

"Okay!" he said, rushing over to lift a long, rectangular package from the pile and hand it to his little cousin.

"Thank you, O," Tommy said, taking it onto his lap and looking up at Lucy, "I can open?"

"Sure you can," Lucy smiled, "It's your present after all."

The small boy with Severus's nose grinned and tore into the paper, opening it to reveal the set of finger paints Lucy and Sirius had purchased for him, to engage his ever-present curiosities. "Oooh!" he squealed, lifting it high above his head to look at it in a different light, "Look at all the colors! Mummy! Daddy! I got paints!"

Severus chuckled, "Wonderful, something else for you to get into."

Dinah leaned over the box and looked at the writing on it, "Apparently it is completely washable with any basic cleaning spell. Good choice," she grinned at Lucy before turning back to Tommy, "What do you say?"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lucy said, smiling at the little boy, and then turned to his parents, "I thought these would be better than the noisy toy Sirius wanted to get him."

Altair stood on tip-toe trying to see Tommy's present.

"See, 'Tair? It's finger paints," Tommy said, lowering the box and pointing to the paint jars with the colored lids they could see through the packaging, his finger landing on the red one.

"Do you know what color that is Altair?" Sirius asked, squatting down next the boy, "It's red. Can you say red?"

Altair looked from his father to the paint his cousin was pointing at and back, making a little grunting sound.

Lucy sighed, "Even if he was a talker Sirius, I don't think he'd be naming his colors quite yet."

Dinah smiled, "But maybe soon. He's a smart one, Lucy, he really is. Remind me later to show you some Muggle books that I have about intelligence in quiet children. I think you'll find them quite interesting."

Lucy grinned, quite proud of her little boy. She was proud of all her children really, but it was nice to hear reassurances about Altair. "Thanks. Oh, I've finished my copy of Harry's book about what should have been his seventh year. You wanted to read it, right?"

"Oh!" Dinah exclaimed, a broad grin forming, "Yes!"

"_Why _must you read those?" Severus growled. "I have already _told _you everything that happened during those years."

"Be glad I've agreed to only borrow Lucy's and not buy my own copies," Dinah said, waving him off, "Besides, this book has been good for us. The media and readers are less receptive to Rita's book because the facts in this one sort of contradict it; paint us in a better light. Though apparently it doesn't talk so much about the year I got here, at least it tells the truth about you."

"It's true," Mae Yates spoke up, "I read it already and it says all sorts of good things."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Lucy said to Mae, "Harry was worried about this one because of all the things it revealed but we told him it was done very well."

"It was," the girl agreed, "Though you can still tell there are things he's leaving out. I only know some of the things the Professor Snapes have told me. There are things even they can't say and I respect that. But I'm glad it's helping to contradict Miss Skeeter's book."

Severus shook his head, "That may be so, but I do not see why people can't simply _leave me alone_. Either they condemn me with false information like that infernal Skeeter woman or I'm forced to listen to Potter babbling his 'bravest man I ever knew' line over and over again. Can no one give me peace and just see that I am human?"

"I can," Dinah said, standing from the couch and walking over to take her husband's hand.

"Yes, my love, but you are a bit of a given," Severus said.

"Well, fine," she huffed, grinning and turning to Lucy and Sirius, "How's that for gratitude?" she asked them, tilting her head in her husband's direction.

"Sorry, Severus," Lucy said, shaking her head, "I remember a time when, even though you didn't like me much, you still refused to let me retreat into myself when it all became too much. You're just going to have to live with my everlasting gratitude. Though I promise not to write a book about it."

Lucy most definitely made the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor blush. But he did not seem very happy about it as he scowled at her and looked away, storming off to sit down in a chair in a huff, his arms folded across his chest and still not looking at her, "I only did what anyone would do," he snarled as Dinah covered a giggle.

Lucy just rolled her eyes, "You just keep telling yourself that while your son opens another present."

Mae grinned, "Here, Tommy. This is from me and your Uncle Andrew. We bought it in Diagon Alley together just before we came to school," she sighed, casting an odd, longing look at Andrew, who seemed to be ignoring her with an uneasy expression. Come to think of it, they had been acting oddly in classes too, and Lucy heard Severus was not pleased at the fact that Mae was apparently unable to produce a Patronus. She wondered if the situations were all linked.

"Thank you!" Tommy was, of course, too young to notice the students' odd behavior as he ripped open the package Mae had handed him to uncover two large picture books, "Books!"

"Yes," Andrew said, "This one is a story about snakes. We thought you would like it because of Slinky."

"And this one," Mae said of the other book, "Is an item-finding book. But it's for big boys. The items actually hide from you and pop up all over the place. You have to be very fast to catch them!"

"I fast!" Tommy declared, "And a big boy!"

Altair seemed even more interested in this present than the paints and reached for Tommy. Sirius didn't remove their son from the situation but did grab his hand. "Those are Tommy's presents," he explained, "He might share them with you sometime, but you can't grab for them."

Tommy smiled at Altair and then at Sirius, and then gasped, "Oh!" he shifted himself around to hug Mae and Andrew and thank them, then hopped down from the couch and ran to hug Sirius.

Lucy watched as Sirius wrapped his arms around the little boy. It was just the same way he hugged Owen and Altair. "Happy Birthday," he murmured.

"Thank you for present," Tommy said, running to Lucy next, "Thank you, Auntie Lucy." Dinah and Severus were smiling at their boy's politeness. Meanwhile, Maylene was squirming around impatiently.

"You're welcome, Tommy," Lucy said, hugging him and ruffling his hair.

"Well, now all that's left are your presents from Mummy and Daddy, huh?" Dinah said, flicking her wand and levitating a pile of gifts over, "Sit back down and we'll give them to you, okay? Maylene, Owen, I think your potion just might be done simmering. Would you like to go get it and bring it out to show us?" Lucy knew that whenever Mae Yates was present her friends tried to call their daughter Maylene, to avoid any confusion.

"Yes!" both children shouted, running back into Maylene's room to finish off the potion. They quickly returned, Maylene presenting the potion to her father.

"Hmm," he frowned in consideration as he glanced at the potion from all angles and briefly sniffed it, turning the oversized vial around to catch the light. Finally, he smiled at the two children, "Excellent brew. Subtle but effective. Worthy of an O, were you both in my class."

Maylene giggled and climbed into Severus's lap, "O like Owen."

Lucy grinned at the two friends, "Well, I think he's pretty outstanding myself."

"I am!" Owen agreed.

Sirius laughed, "Of course you are son. After all, you've got two pretty outstanding parents, but I think Aunt Dinah is ready for Tommy to finish opening his gifts."

"Okay!" Owen said, jumping into Severus's lap with Maylene.

Severus winced a little at the impact and then looked from one child to the other, "Er… now… both of you at once is a bit…"

"Why don't you come over here Owen?" Sirius said, patting his lap. Altair, made his way over to Andrew and tugged on his robes, looking for a place for him to sit.

"But I want to sit here!" Owen whined, "Can I sit here Uncle Sev?"

Severus's resistance seemed to disappear and he smiled and ruffled Owen's hair, "Of course you may sit here." Meanwhile, Mae was gently encouraging Andrew to pick Altair up, and the boy also lost his resistance and did so.

"Just to warn you Andrew, he might fall asleep on you. It's nearly bedtime," she glanced over to the bouncy seat where Adara had fallen asleep. Hopefully she'd sleep awhile longer and not wake up hungry just yet.

"Uh… all right," Andrew said, blushing a little although it was sometimes hard to tell since his face was often slightly red from his allergies. He held Altair up awkwardly and watched as Dinah sat down on the remaining couch cushion and pulled Tommy into her lap to open presents.

His first gift was a selection of various Muggle and Wizarding books, then a new set of robes followed by various Muggle clothes, and then a strange package from the Muggle world. Lucy had no idea what it was but Tommy held it up excitedly and grinned, "Learning game like May's! For me?"

"Yes, just for you," Dinah said, hugging him close, "Do you like it?"

"Yes!" he squealed. Normally he was fairly quiet but the boy certainly did know how to receive gifts with excitement.

Severus frowned, "Good. I wanted to wait until Christmas so that we could leave it in London but your mother insisted," he managed a slight smile at the end of his sentence.

"What's it do?" Owen asked. Meanwhile Lucy watched Altair rub at his eyes with his free hand, fighting to stay awake as his eyelids drooped.

"You know!" Maylene declared excitedly, waving her hands around in front of Severus's face as she tried to explain to her 'cousin', "You've seen mine sometimes. S'like Mummy's handheld video games but for kids. You can play games that teach you numbers and shapes and things. But I already _know _all of _my _numbers and shapes! So I use the bigger kid games now where they teach words!"

"Yes," Severus muttered, lowering her hands to her sides, "Sit still."

"Sorry, Daddy," she giggled, leaning back against him.

"Ooooh!" Owen said, his eyes growing wide. "Those are fun Tommy!"

Lucy grinned at his enthusiasm. She wasn't sure if it came from her or Sirius…probably both of them. Adara made some fussy noises before settling back to sleep. Lucy figured it wouldn't be much longer before she woke, insistently hungry. Altair, in contrast, looked as if he was nearly asleep before he jerked himself awake, scaring Andrew.

"You can play with it," Tommy offered politely while Andrew didn't look like he knew what to do with Altair. But when Lucy's red-haired son closed his eyes and laid his head back on Andrew's shoulder, the boy's question was answered for him. He looked embarrassed, but let Altair stay where he was.

"Thanks!" Owen said, sitting much more still than Maylene had, even in his excitement, "That's really nice."

"I can take him if you want," Lucy offered to Andrew, not wanting the seventh year to think he had to hold the boy, "We can lay him down in Tommy's bed and he'll be fine. Assuming that's okay with Tommy, of course."

"He can lay there," Tommy said just as nicely.

Severus smirked at Dinah, "The boy is clearly your son."

Dinah laughed, "Oh, he's your son too. Just wait and see how excited I know he's going to be over our last gift."

Severus smiled slightly at the notion, leaving Lucy wondering what the last gift would be.

Meanwhile, Andrew was shrugging, "If you think he'd be happier in the bed you can take him. But if he wants to stay he can. I won't make him leave. It's fine." When Mae smiled and leaned her head on Andrew's other shoulder the young man looked utterly thrilled and oddly… hopeful.

"As long as he's not bothering you, it's fine," Lucy said, "Anytime you want me to take him just let me know." She turned back to Tommy grinning, "You think you're ready for your last present? It sounds really exciting!"

"Yes!" Tommy shrieked, craning his neck around to look at Dinah and then at Severus, "Where is it?"

"Right here," Dinah smiled, placing a large package in her son's arms, which he subsequently tore open to find a box from the Diagon Alley toy store with writing on the side that said 'Let's Play Potions!'

"Potions!" the little Snape boy shrieked, his eyes lighting up as he pointed to the familiar word. Lucy guessed he was more recognizing it than reading it, as he probably saw that particular word all of the time.

"What?" Maylene demanded as Severus admonished her to sit still again, a rather large – relatively speaking, for him - smile on his face as he watched his son's reaction to the gift.

"That's right, sweetheart, a potions game just for you," Dinah said, smoothing his hair, "Now, it's a bit different from Maylene's since you're still quite a little boy. This one uses pretend ingredients but the methods are still the same. It changes color just right when you do the right thing. In _fact_," she smiled, "I do believe some of the pretend ingredients you use are more interesting than some of the real ones in your sister's set."

"No fair!" the sister in concern whined, craning her head to inspect the rival toy.

"Wow!" Owen said, not caring at all whose potions set was better than the other, "If you wanted an assistant, Tommy, I bet 'Tair would do it! He likes watching us play with May's set! 'Course you could do it all by yourself too, you're good at stuff like that."

"We can all use it," Tommy grinned, hugging the box to himself, "Thank you, Mummy and Daddy!"

"I'm glad you like it," Dinah smiled, "Of course this does mean we don't want to see you messing around with your sister's anymore, okay?"

"'Kay," he agreed, but looked a bit thoughtful. The look disappeared quickly though before he turned and gave Dinah a big hug, "Love you, Mummy."

"Oh, I love you too, sweetie," Dinah said, hugging him and kissing the top of his head before releasing him.

Tommy hurried over to stand in front of the chair where Severus sat buried by Maylene and Owen and put his hands squarely on his hips, "Move, May!"

"Well, that's rude," Maylene declared, turning her little nose into the air.

Lucy watched, grateful for her very accommodating son, as Owen scrambled down off Severus's lap and said, "Here Tommy. You can use my spot."

"Thank you," Tommy said, climbing up onto Severus's lap and hugging him, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, son," Severus said, smiling as he hugged his son back, "I assume you had a satisfactory birthday?"

"Yes!"

"That's wonderful," Dinah said, flicking her wand to quickly clean up all of the wrap, "It's getting late, though, and I know our little Altair over here is quite sleepy so we should move onto our last activity and then turn in, okay? Now who wants cake and ice cream?"

"Me, please!" Owen said, raising his hand up in the air as high as he could get it.

Lucy giggled, "I've got to try and eat mine quick. Adara's going to wake up soon and I'll have to go feed her, but I'd love some too."

Maylene and Tommy had also shouted 'Me' and were now crowded around Dinah's legs as Altair shifted awake again. Dinah grinned, "Oh, you _know _I want some."

Dinah lifted her son up in her arms and everyone who could, sang 'Happy Birthday' to the little boy. When they had finished singing, Severus waved his wand at the cake serving up the first piece to Tommy.

Lucy felt like she'd only gotten to eat a couple bites of the chocolate cake when her daughter let out an anxious and demanding cry. Her body reacted as it always did and Lucy stood, sighing, "I told you I wouldn't have much time to eat. We'll just go into the other room," she said, lifting the little baby up out of her bouncy chair. Adara immediately started searching for her meal. "I hope you all enjoy the rest of your cake," she said, going into Dinah and Severus's bedroom and shutting the door.

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><p>"What a lovely day," Dinah murmured later that night, curling up against Severus's chest for sleep after they had finally gotten their excited children to bed. They were both too exhausted for any type of fooling around and had thus showered separately. But that wasn't so unusual now that they had the children. Still, her life was brimming with happiness and contentment.<p>

"Mm," Severus agreed.

"Our baby had a wonderful third birthday," she said, and then sighed. Happy and content she may be, but… there was still a potential dark cloud on the horizon. "One more day until Azkaban. I suppose we should try to do some of our own research on the Airaldi family."

"We can request that the Blacks take the children and spend a few hours after dinner in the library," Severus said, "That should be enough."

"Mm. And Dolores Umbridge? Any expert strategies for dealing with that horrid woman?"

She could hear the smirk in his voice, "Well, I would suggest not letting her get to you, but I do not have the best history when it comes to that."

"You fooled her for a long time."

"Perhaps, but it was no secret that I still had nothing but disdain for her. Ideally she will give us our information and we can get out, but… I highly doubt the situation will be ideal."

"Well, then," she yawned, feeling her body prepare for sleep, "I suppose we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Indeed."


	12. Nostalgia Interrupted

**A/N: Thanks to MRSSPICY and all of my other reviewers of this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWELVE<p>

Nostalgia Interrupted

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><p>Déjà vu had been a mostly unpleasant experience for the majority of Severus's life. That was because most of the life experiences he could recall had been unpleasant ones. But after six years with Dinah, he found that more and more often as he created positive memories, there were moments of good déjà vu.<p>

Today was one of those moments, as he and Dinah settled down at a familiar library table to do research on the elusive Airaldi family. The same table where they had spent hours researching together during the youthening, and now they were here to do it again.

Dinah seemed to be feeling the same way as him, which wasn't really a surprise, as she grabbed a couple of the genealogical books they had selected and put them in front of her, opening the top one and flashing him a radiant smile, "What do you think? Did you miss this?"

"Mm. Perhaps we should make a… 'date' to do this more often," he replied, unable to prevent himself from smiling back at her.

"I love you," she said softly.

He felt himself melt a little. It was a feeling he never would have expected to enjoy before experiencing it, but which he now did enjoy very much, "And I you, my dear. But we should begin."

"Of course," she agreed, as they began looking through their selected books. But he could not, and neither could she he was sure, deny how good this felt.

"Hey!" a surprised, familiar voice said after a few quiet minutes had passed. Severus lifted his head from his book to receive another sense of surprisingly pleasant déjà vu. Mae Yates, along with Andrew which had to be a good sign, were standing next to the table. The only thing that didn't fit the déjà vu was how tall they were now in comparison to that year, how much they'd grown. It made him think of Maylene and Tommy, currently staying at the Blacks', and how they might look years from now when they had grown up. Strangely, he hoped that didn't happen too fast.

Of course, Mae and Andrew were more like their friends than their children, almost like peers although there were, of course, shades of all sorts of other relationships in there too. It was a rather curious thing, given the age difference.

"I haven't seen you two here in _ages_!" Mae said, "Are you doing research on something? Like you used to when we were kids?"

"We are!" Dinah grinned, looking absolutely thrilled. His wife's enthusiasm was always so… infectious. "It's so nice to see you two as well. It's like déjà vu or something. We're actually looking up information on the Airaldi family. It seems they're our best candidate for this creep who keeps sending letters, according to the Malfoys."

"Oh," Andrew frowned, "Well, I hope you can stop them somehow. Would you like us to…" he hesitated and looked at Mae.

The smile she gave him appeared to be a normal one. Was it possible that his advice had actually _helped _students with their romantic problems? No, it was too soon to think such impossibly ridiculous things. At any rate, Mae nodded at Andrew before turning back to them, "Would you like us to join you? We could help you out. Four pairs of eyes are better than two, right?"

"Of course!" Dinah enthused, and Severus smiled at the idea.

Curse it! He smiled at the idea. One of those rare, genuine smiles that he used to reserve only for Dinah and later the children but now he was giving it to Mae and Andrew. It wasn't the first time that it had happened but it was still rare enough that both Andrew's eyebrows went up in surprise and Mae's eyes lit up with a happy, almost _warm _expression. Damn infernal students.

Severus cleared his throat and looked back down at his book, "You may join us," he grumbled. When and how had he ever turned into such a happy person? It was disturbing. And now his infernal wife's hand was on his knee. How was he supposed to prevent himself from being happy now? _Too _happy, actually, if she kept that up. He growled and shoved her off of him.

Things winded down though as they began going through the books, though the pleasant déjà vu was still tangible in the air around them. But he liked that. They had selected a number of books detailing wizarding families, mostly purebloods but some half-bloods, depending upon the book, and their histories in Britain and in other parts of the world. They had mostly limited their search to British books published in the last hundred and fifty years, but examined some older world books, in case information on the Airaldi family when they still lived in Italy would be useful in some way, though he doubted it. After all, they were in Britain by the time the Dark Lord – Voldemort – was even born. He usually used the name out loud but sometimes in his head he still wanted to think 'Dark Lord'. It was becoming more infrequent though, which he could only assume was a good thing.

"Here's something," Dinah said after a while, sliding the book forward so that they could all see it and pointing to a spot on the left-hand page, "But it's only a brief mention, saying that they exist."

"I found something better," Mae offered, sliding her own book forward, "This book actually gives a couple of paragraphs on them."

"Oh, that is better," Dinah agreed, leaning forward to examine the page, "Nice find, Mae. Is there anything useful or of interest?"

"Here, I'll read it," their young friend offered, placing her finger on a spot on the page and beginning to read, "'The Airaldi family are a pureblood family of Italian descent who immigrated to England in the year 1887. Strong advocates of the Dark Arts and of pureblood supremacy, they were turned off by their country's slowly-growing acceptance of Muggle-borns and half-bloods and found Britain's country of pureblood power and legacies much more attractive to them.' Well, that's a bit disturbing," she frowned.

"It is," Dinah agreed, a similar frown appearing on her face. There was no doubt that the two females were similar in their ideals. Granted, Severus had essentially lost his pureblood favoritism by now, though he still found Muggle society and the infernal objects his wife insisted upon using a great annoyance and mostly useless. "Keep reading," she encouraged.

"'There remain scattered descendants and other relations in Italy to this day, though they have mostly mated with Muggles and those of impure blood and have been disowned.

'The patriarch of the family, Agostino Airaldi and his wife Armida immigrated with their three married children, eldest son Angelino, second son Peppi, and youngest child, daughter Giosetta. All three children bore them grandchildren, but only one son, Ilario, of Angelino and his wife Carolina, was fit to carry on the family name. The current patriarch, Ennio Airaldi, is his direct descendant. He and his wife Amanda had their only son, Andre Airaldi, who is currently five years old, later in life, and thus only the three of them remain at this time. They continue to uphold their pureblood ideals, though have never been involved, or at least their involvement has never been implicated, in acts of violence based upon those ideals.'"

An odd frown had appeared on Andrew's face, but nobody seemed to notice this besides Severus. Dinah and Mae were still absorbed in that book, the details of which were interesting, yes, but…

"In what year was the book published?" Dinah asked.

Mae flipped back to the beginning to look, "1982."

"So…" his wife's brow furrowed in consideration, "Andre would be twenty-seven right now. That sounds like a reasonable age to have written that letter. And it _does _start with an 'A', though the mother's name does too."

"Mm…" Mae agreed, "Is Andre an Italian name?"

"I don't think so," Dinah shook her head, "But perhaps since they've been in Britain so long they've taken to using our names."

"Why would you ask that specific question?" Andrew demanded, standing up and fixing Mae with an accusatory glare.

"I… what?" the girl asked, looking up at her boyfriend with a confused expression. "What question?"

"About his name. 'Andre' sounds a lot like 'Andrew', right? You're thinking his family sounds just like mine, aren't you? Purebloods who haven't been involved in the conflict but embrace supremacy. You think my family is evil and that's why you refuse to spend time with them! If that's the case, then what do you think of me?"

"I-" Mae almost whimpered, and Severus could do nothing but stare at the sudden turn this conversation had taken. His wife's mouth was also hanging open in surprise. "_No_, Andrew, of course not! That's not what I-" she reached out to touch his arm but he jerked away.

"Then why have you been acting like this all this year? I just want you to come spend Christmas with me, is that so wrong?"

"_No_, it's just too early – too soon-"

"Then what time would be good for you?" he demanded, slamming his hands down onto the table and jarring some of the books from their neat piles, "If you don't expose yourself to them you'll _never _make any kind of impression! If I waited for you we'd never be able to- to-" he didn't finish his sentence as a wave of sneezes came on, and Severus had to wince. Those allergies were so awkward and unflattering… it reminded him of his own childhood, though his situation had been much better, now that he had perspective and Dinah in his life. Yet still…

"Andrew…" Mae offered him her school handkerchief, but again, he shoved her away.

"I don't want your pity! You see my family as _just _like this one!" he recovered, jabbing a finger at the paragraph they had just been reading, "You think I'm just inches away from being some kind of Death Eater! You probably think _my _family is the one that wrote those nasty letters!"

"How could you say that?" she demanded, standing up to face him down, "You _know _I don't think that, Andrew, you know it! I don't hate your family, I just-"

"Save it. You've already made your point," he scowled, turning and storming from the library.

"Why?" Mae turned tear-filled eyes back to look between Dinah and Severus, "Why did that just happen? Why does he think that _I'm _the one being unreasonable here? Why couldn't I make him understand… why…?"

"Oh, Mae, I don't know," Dinah said softly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder as she sat back down, "Obviously Andrew is angry and hurt and feels confused at this situation, but…"

"But I try to explain to him. _Am _I really the unreasonable one?" she asked.

Severus let his wife take care of this emotional part of the situation, as she was one-hundred percent better equipped for it, and instead tried to think it through from the logical side. For a long time, when he had first met those two students, he had imagined them as just like himself and Lily. Then, once he had finally accepted his love for Dinah, he had seen them as resembling himself and his wife. But even then was still in the early days, and now, although there were certainly still similarities between the relationship between those two and his own relationship, he was beginning to see that they faced many issues that were unique only to them, and indeed that they were separate individuals that handled things in their own way. Or _didn't _handle things, whatever the case may be, he thought with a slight smirk.

Still, he was not unsympathetic to the issue. After all, they were his friends. It just amazed him sometimes at how long it took him to come to reasonable conclusions about others' relationships. Despite years of work as a spy and training to become, at least according to his flattering wife, the most powerful wizard on the planet, still at thirty-eight years old he had been naïve enough to try to live vicariously through two first years his old relationship with Lily. And then, despite being intelligent enough to realize it wasn't like that, he instead switched to seeing them as carbon copies of himself and Dinah. How childish was that? He liked to think that now, at forty-four and with his own children to raise, he was past all of those issues, but he often wondered if his social development was still far behind that of any of his peers.

All right, it most certainly was, given how his wife and those infernal Blacks liked to mercilessly tease him about his behaviors. But it wasn't a type of teasing he had an aversion to anymore. It was more friendly 'messing', and though he would never admit it out loud, Dinah was right. He _enjoyed _getting irritated at that sort of thing. And, of course, part of that wasn't immaturity but was simply his own personality, which Dinah had fully accepted. He would not change much of that, because he did not want to. He actually liked himself as he was, and so did his wife. Perhaps these students did not have that sort of understanding, or were not fully aware of it yet? Or maybe it was something else…

He felt like he was close to a reasonable answer but it was not coming to him. Well, no matter. It was not his life anyway, so he could only do so much. And Dinah, with her unwavering empathy, could certainly do more.

"So it _will _work out eventually?" Mae was asking Dinah. Severus's thoughts had distracted him from the middle of the conversation.

"I think it will," Dinah assured her, "But it might not be right away. It might be something you have to work through, and try to understand from both sides." Ah, yes, there was that 'let's love everyone and all try to understand each other' empathy yet again. His wife never changed, but he loved her for it.

"O-Okay," Mae said shakily, wiping her eyes and turning to Severus, "But after that just happened, now my Patronus issue has to be much worse, I'm sure. I did look up potential ways around the emotional barriers like you asked, but I doubt they'll work now," she said, her eyes filling again, "I don't know if you'll want to help me, but I still want help. _Will _you still help me?"

"Yes," he found himself replying, and he knew that he meant it.

"Thank you," she gave him a weak smile, wiping her eyes again, "You really are so nice Professor Snape, you know? You really are."

He had to wince and did not know how to reply to that. Those were odd, slightly disagreeable words to hear, but he wasn't sure he could reasonably deny them. That was also disturbing.

Dinah smiled first at him and then at Mae, "If there's anything else we can do, just let us know."

"I will. Thanks. Um, you two don't mind if I head back to common room now, do you? I just… I need to rest and think a little."

"Of course, go on," his wife assured the seventh-year, "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," she said, before leaving the library.

Dinah sighed and toyed with the pages of the book they had been examining, "Those poor students. I just don't know how to help them." She looked up at him with a teasing grin, "And what exactly were you thinking about during half of our conversation, Mr. Spaced Out?"

"I was not 'spaced out'," he frowned at the feel of the slang term on his lips, "I was simply trying to think through the situation and come to a logical conclusion of how to interpret it and thus help them. Unfortunately, I did not come to one."

Her smile softened and she looped her arm through his, leaning in close to whisper, "You really _are _a nice person, Severus."

He growled and shoved the book closer to her, trying to ignore the fact that he felt his face heat up at her words, "Read about your Italian family."

She laughed, giving his arm a final squeeze before releasing him, "All right, all right," she went back to the book to finish reading what Mae had found, and he continued on his own research. Ultimately, they found nothing more than a description of their Coat of Arms, which did indeed contain a rose, and a family tree which told them that both of the elder Airaldis were now in their seventies, thus making them unlikely candidates for having written the letter as Lucius had suggested.

And so, Andre Airaldi was their best chance at this point. A young, pureblood-supremacy-bent individual with a name that began with 'A' both first and last. The only potential issue was that Severus, try as he might, could not remember teaching an individual by that name in any of his classes. And the letter writer had stated that they had gone to Hogwarts, meaning that with the age he _should _have taught them. And someone like that he felt he would have remembered.

But there was the possibility of memory charms or even that the mother, Amanda Airaldi, had gone to Hogwarts and dictated that part of the letter. It also could have been a lie.

Either way, right now this boy was their best - and only - lead.


	13. Azkaban

**A/N: Since I'm going out of town this weekend, here's a slightly early update! Thanks most recently to MRSSPICY and also to all of my other reviewers and those who have favorite the story! If you can, please leave a review. They are really appreciated :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<p>

Azkaban

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><p>Dinah shivered, not so much from the cold but from the ambience itself, as she and Severus walked through the huge wooden double doors into the cold stone entrance hall, lit only by a row of flickering torches. Still, it was quite dark and grey in this massive chamber, and there was no personal warmth or homey touches either. Not that she should have expected such things, in a prison, but still it was unsettling.<p>

The glow from the torches got stronger in the hall that stretched and curved to the left in front of them, the tighter line of torches disappearing off into the distance. There, the brown stone glowed orange in their light, but here it was darker, colder, more intimidating.

This was Azkaban.

Yes, even without dementors it was gloomy and imposing. Dinah shivered again and moved to stand closer to Severus, hoping his usual warmth would come through. She was glad when he put an arm around her waist. "I'm _so _glad you never had to spend any time here," she said quietly, "It's awful. It just feels so… cold. And not just physically."

"It is not a good place," he admitted, "Though in the past it was much, much worse."

"Poor Sirius," she said softly, feeling a little sad – even teary – that her friend had to spend so much time here. It was a good thing Lucy didn't come, probably. It would have been a bit much for her, if Dinah herself was being affected like this.

Her husband sighed, "Even without the dementors, the innocent do not belong here… I regret now that it had to happen."

"I know you do," she assured him, sighing as well. After all, nothing could be done to change the past.

A wizard in a dark, hooded cloak stepped up to them, brandishing a wand in his right hand, probably for security reasons. "Professor and Mrs. Snape, I presume."

"We are both referred to as 'Professor Snape'," Severus informed him, all business but kind enough to make sure Dinah was conferred an equal amount of respect. She showed her gratitude by leaning in a little closer, but kept her eyes on the man in front of them.

"Yes, of course," he submitted, "I'll need to inspect your wands. We are only beginning to permit visitors to Azkaban prisoners without thorough background checks and Ministry permits, and though you are both fairly well known, rules are rules," he said, holding out his hands. Dinah noted that he hadn't given them his name.

She placed her nine-inch, flexible willow wand with unicorn tail hair core in his left hand while Severus placed his thirteen-and-a-quarter-inch, slightly yielding ebony wand with dragon heartstring core in his right. The unnamed man moved his hands up and down as though balancing scales, ran his fingers along each wand and examined them both from all angles before asking his own wand to reveal any spells that might be placed upon theirs. When he seemed satisfied, he returned their wands to them and they replaced them in their robes.

"Now, if I heard correctly, you have both requested to visit… Dolores Umbridge?"" he asked with a questioning eyebrow, as though he didn't believe it was possible.

"Yes. Dolores Umbridge," Severus confirmed.

The man just stared at them.

"Is that a problem?" Dinah asked. She had, of course, been told about the woman over and over by Severus and had read about her antics in the book about Harry Potter's fifth year, and so she did understand why the man would be surprised that they wanted to visit her. But they had confirmed it twice, so he really should just let it go.

"Ah… no," he frowned, "It is simply that I cannot imagine _why _anyone would want to visit that woman."

"I assure you, this is not a social call," Severus smirked, "We are here for interrogation purposes and interrogation purposes only. There is some information that we want to request from her."

"You are aware that she likely won't give it easily."

"Yes," he said tersely, "we are aware of this. Now will you show us to her or not?"

Dinah tried not to blush too much. She loved it when her husband did his 'strict' act, it was… well, a bit of a turn-on.

"Mm. Yes, of course," the unnamed man's frown deepened as he beckoned them down the glowing hallway that Dinah had noted earlier. It was a little warmer and brighter in this area, but the walls were still empty of anything welcoming and the floor was still hard and dirty. "I am afraid we keep her in fairly solitary confinement as she annoys the other prisoners," he went on as they walked, "We guards do not like to deal with her for any length of time. Simply going in and bringing her food invites a host of derogatory comments disguised in a sickening sweetness. It baffles me that she was allowed to work in the Ministry for so long."

"Fudge was daft and the Death Eaters found her useful," Severus said in way of explanation, "Though it _is_ baffling how she managed to move up through the ranks _to _her position with Fudge."

"Bribery?" Dinah suggested wryly.

"It would not surprise me," her husband smirked.

"Nor I," the guard agreed, and then went quiet as they began to walk through an area lined with cells on either side.

The first few cells were empty and one cell contained a sleeping individual – Dinah couldn't tell whether it was male or female – in ragged clothes in a pile of dirty sheets that seemed to function as a bed. Each cell had those sheet piles, as well as a couple of buckets and a wash bin filled with dirty water. The cells themselves were filthy and full of grime, the bars rusted, and the entire place smelled of filth and human stench. It was disgusting and it was horrible. Dinah had toured a Muggle prison or two during her years of sociological and anthropological studies, but none had been anywhere close to this amount of squalor. This was more like the prison of a third world country or a prison from a thousand years ago. Even _without _the dementors it was a horrible place, and she just couldn't _imagine _what it would be like if the dementors were present. Even most guilty people didn't deserve to live like this.

"_Snape_!"

Dinah jumped as the hissed word jolted her from her thoughts. Severus was scowling next to her and she couldn't see the expression on the unnamed man's face behind his hood, but after a little looking around she did figure out, at the same time as her husband, who had hissed their last name. A scrawny, dark-eyed man in tattered prison garb had apparently crawled on his hands and knees to the bars and was glaring daggers at them as they passed. She bit her lip and looked at her husband, "Do you know him?"

"It is difficult to determine," he answered, sneering at the man.

"Traitor!" he hissed, pointing a long, bony finger at Severus, and then he suddenly began shouting, "TRAITOR! TRAITOR! SEVERUS SNAPE! LIED TO THE DARK LORD, BETRAYED OUR CAUSE, FELLOW DEATH EATERS, HE IS IN OUR MIDST! TRAITOR! LEAVING US HERE TO ROT WHILE HE LEADS A STOLEN LIFE! TRAITOR!"

"Snape!"

"Snape?"

"SNAPE! Traitor!"

"TRAITOR!"

Dinah didn't know where to look anymore as ragged figures began standing up and walking to the bars in all of the cells surrounding them, shouting insults and declarations against her husband, sneering and pointing and calling him horrible names. It was like something out of a terrible film, walking down a hallway filled with shouting, grabbing, desperate, mocking prisoners. It was horrifying and disgusting and she had had no idea that something like this would happen.

"QUIET!" the unnamed man was shouting at them, "Or we'll petition to bring the dementors back!"

"SNAPE NEVER DID TIME HERE!" the first man was shouting from behind them, "He should be here with us! Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater! The Dark Lord does not abide traitors in our midst! Rot in here with us! Traitor!"

"And is that his pretty wife?" a particularly nasty former Death Eater hissed, wiggling his hands at Dinah through the bars closest to her on the left.

Dinah inhaled sharply and stepped back, slamming into Severus while she glared daggers at the man. This was _just _like something out of a film. Her husband grasped her shoulders and she felt more than heard the growl in his chest over the shouting former Death Eaters.

"You're living well, aren't you _Snape_?" another said, directly addressing her husband for the first time.

Severus's hand was in his robe pocket and his teeth were bared at the Death Eater before he opened his mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by the unnamed man who said, "Best to just keep moving and ignore them. I do sometimes wish we still had the dementors to keep them quiet."

Dinah knew he was right, at least about the fact that they should keep moving, not about the dementors part. They all clustered as best as they could in the very middle of the hall, as far away from the grasping, shouting Death Eaters as they possibly could be as they continued down the hall. She turned to her husband, recognizing his building fury by the vein pulsing in his temple, "You know some of these folk, then, I presume," she said to him.

"Some of them," he admitted, his voice a dangerous whisper, that soft tone that indicated nothing less than the deepest threat to anyone who crossed him. It had been quite a long time since she'd had any reason to hear that tone. Even through her nervousness, he was breathtaking.

The hall seemed endless and, like a game of telephone, the Death Eaters' message that the traitor Snape was here was conveyed down the line so that they never escaped the taunts. Dinah was starting to get used to it and stupidly assumed that Severus was doing the same when he proved her wrong by growling and pulling out his wand. She recognized the look in his eyes. He was about to hex them.

"Stop!" she exclaimed, grasping his arm and meeting his gaze, which calmed by the barest margin when their eyes met, "They're not worth your time."

It took a bit longer, keeping her eyes locked with his, before his expression calmed the rest of the way and he exhaled, lowering his wand hand and putting the object back away in his robe pocket. She had gotten through to him, thankfully, because hexing these individuals would do no good. It would probably only be giving them what they wanted.

Thankfully, they soon reached the end of the screaming Death Eater hall and got a short reprieve. The unnamed man turned around to face them, "I apologize for that. They are incorrigible."

"That is the nature of the Death Eater, even after six years," Severus said quietly, "I noticed those were some of the worst of the lot. You keep them so close to the exit, and together like that?"

"We have our reasons for where we keep people," he said, not offering to explain what those reasons were. His gaze shifted to a dark staircase and he pulled a torch off of the wall, beginning to lead them up, "The women of that type are on the second floor, and the third floor contains most of our solitary confinement cells. That is where we will find your Dolores Umbridge."

"I'd rather you not call her 'mine' if at all possible," Severus sneered as they made their way up, thankfully not walking down the women's hall - Dinah didn't want a repeat of what had just happened, regardless of the sex of the perpetrators. They instead climbed straight up the next flight of stairs and emerged into a quiet hallway lined with doors on either side.

Their footsteps echoed along the stone floor as they made their way to a door on the left about five doors down. The unnamed man stopped there and sighed, "Here we are. If you don't mind I'd rather not join you. Simply rap on the other side of the door when you are finished. Your maximum allowed time is one hour unless you have a Ministry permit. I am afraid those are the rules."

"Well, then we will need to weasel the information out of her in that time," Severus said.

"Best of luck with that," the man smirked, "Do you know she demands pink prison robes? We had no choice but to oblige, otherwise she shouts and disturbs the neighboring prisoners. And also demanded photos of _cats _in the cell, the insolent woman. We guards are at the end of our ropes when it comes to Miss Dolores Jane Umbridge."

"I would think a silencing charm would suffice on her rather than catering to her ludicrous demands," Severus smirked right back at him.

The unnamed man shook his head, "Even with a silencing charm, she still manages to be incorrigible. Here," he pushed the door into her room open and took a cautious step over the threshold, "Miss Umbridge? Your… 'visitors' are here."

"Send them in," a sickeningly sweet voice called from inside.

He pushed the door open further and stepped back, nodding at Dinah and Severus, "Be my guest."

Dinah exchanged a glance with her husband before they both stepped inside, over the threshold, allowing the unnamed man to close the door behind them. It did so with a resounding thud, and then they were locked in this dimly-lit room with the woman that they had to interview. The majority of the room was empty space, but on the right wall was a cell, and it was this that they approached.

A figure rose from its seated position on the makeshift bed and walked over to them. Dinah wasn't really sure what she had expected to see, but this woman seemed no more than a pale shadow of the images from the old _Daily Prophets_ and such of the notorious Dolores Umbridge. She stood tall, but her bright pink prison robes hung loosely on her thin frame, her mouse-brown curls greying about the edges. Six years in Azkaban had left her malnourished and weak-looking, but the one thing that hadn't changed was the pursed lips and false smile on her face. And, despite her ragged appearance, Dinah felt any pity for the woman fly out the window when she met her gaze. Still, she _did _try to give all people the benefit of the doubt, at least at first, and that was what she would try to do here as well.

Still, she couldn't help but feel her blood boil as the thin woman turned her false smile to Severus, "Snape," Umbridge said his name in such a clipped, haughty tone, Dinah found her teeth clenching, "They said you were coming but I did not believe them until this moment. Did you know that they allow us books here in Azkaban now? Well, they do, and I have read yours from _cover to cover_."

"Is… that… so?" Severus said slowly, his mouth set in a hard line, but his eyes glinting with malice.

"It's all right," she said with another false, also sickening, girlish giggle, "I didn't believe a word of it."

"A word of what?" he snarled the question.

"Of what that Skeeter woman claims, of course. That you are somehow still a Death Eater, tricking the world into thinking you're reformed," her sweetness began to fade and the haughtiness was increased in her tone as she continued, "I _knew _from the very beginning that you were a liar, working for Dumbledore, working against us at the ministry. You were always a traitor, weren't you, Snape? I could tell! All throughout my time as headmistress you were being deliberately unhelpful!" she clipped, her tone accusatory.

"Is that so?" Severus repeated, but this time with a smug smirk, "And why, might I ask, Miss Umbridge, would it matter to you whether I was a Death Eater or not? You were no Death Eater – you only worked with the side you thought would win, and you were wrong. Clearly you picked the losing side."

"Hmph!" Umbridge huffed, turning away from him, leaving him winner again as she seemed unable to come up with a satisfactory comeback. Instead, she turned to Dinah, and seemed to gather herself together again as that false smile reappeared on her face and she cleared her throat with that now-made-infamous sickeningly sweet 'hem hem' noise; "And you… _you _must be the Mudblood he married. The false witch. One with a stolen wand like so many vermin wandering around polluting our streets since they've locked me up and put a stop to the Ministry's true mission."

Of course, Dinah knew about the Ministry and Dolores Umbridge's mission that year to dominate and eliminate all Muggle-borns from their society under the guise of 'registering'. But the fact that she just said all that with a smile and with absolutely no cognizance, even now, about how wrong and hurtful it was, only made Dinah more infuriated. Severus was growling but she put a hand on his arm and shook her head, "I'll handle this." He nodded and then she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand, showing it to the woman but keeping it well out of her reach, "Is this the wand that you say is stolen, Miss Umbridge?" she demanded.

"Why yes, Mrs. Snape," she said, her sweet tone not at all hiding her condescension, "Excellent. Now, do tell me where you managed to obtain it."

Dinah gritted her teeth and tried to keep calm. She could not give this woman what she wanted. Instead, she pursed her lips right back at her and said, strongly, "Now, you _know _that is a dishonest question, and you know that you only ask it to be deliberately hurtful to others. Aren't you always the one who says that you should not tell lies? One would think you'd have learned your lesson by now, but perhaps not. Admit that you know where I got this wand. That I obtained it from Ollivander's like any normal young witch and that it chose me."

"When you were eleven?" Dolores Umbridge asked, that sweet smile still on her face.

Dinah frowned, "Well, no, I myself obtained it when I was sixteen, but-"

"Ah ha, well then, aren't _you _the one who is telling the lies, Mrs. Snape?" the other woman asked with a triumphant glint in her gaze, her smile turning as sweet as a treacle tart, but again, it was false, "Because as you well know all _real _witches' and wizards' wands choose them when they are eleven."

"Why you-" Dinah began, even more infuriated when her outburst caused Umbridge's smile to widen. How was it that after being in prison for six years and practically wasting away as a result the woman was still so sadistic? She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, "You _knew_ about me from reading that book. You were just hoping I'd answer sixteen so you could use it to your advantage but it's not going to work!" Dinah told her, but she still kept that smile on her face. But Dinah wasn't going to give up. She was going to get through to this woman and make her learn the error of her ways. "Will you still be able to claim that this wand is stolen when I perform magic with it?" she asked, waving her wand and using the bluebell flame spell to make the blue fire form a few swirling circles in the air.

"Clearly, he is channeling his magic into the wand for you," she said, nodding at Severus, who scowled at her.

"Are you delusional?" Dinah found herself shouting.

"Dinah!" Severus grasped her arm, giving her a significant look, "We came here for a reason."

"Oh…" she frowned, getting a hold of herself. The woman simply made her angry, but he was right of course. They had business to attend to. She cleared her throat, hopefully not in an annoying 'hem hem' way, and nodded, "Yes, of course. Sorry."

"Yes," Umbridge said, her voice airy, turning back to Severus, "Why _did _you come to see me at any rate?"

"We are seeking the whereabouts of the Airaldi family," he said.

"Never heard of them," the pink-clad woman stuck her nose in the air.

"Indeed?" Severus snorted, "Well, I know very well that you _have _heard of them and you cannot deny it. We were told of the deal you arranged with them by Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. You are the one that gave them asylum and thus the only living person who knows where they are at this time."

She gave a vomit-inducing, girlish giggle, "Lucius Malfoy and his family. You know, the Death Eaters downstairs hate him even more than they hate you, Snape. Because _he _was most definitely a Death Eater and on their side, and yet now he lives peacefully with his family who, for some reason or another, received full pardons, while those downstairs must suffer in this place for years. They find it highly unfair."

"Lucius did his time here, and you are evading the question."

Dinah sighed at her husband's words. It was true, she remembered now. Lucius _had _spent a year in Azkaban as well, with the dementors. Poor Lucius. Granted, he _was _a Death Eater at the time, but still… he was also her friend. At least Draco had escaped that fate.

"Oh, am I?" she smiled, "And what question was that?"

"Where is the Airaldi family?" Severus demanded.

"Hmm… Airaldi… Airaldi…" the infernal woman stood there with her finger to her lips as though racking her brain for the name. "Oh. You know, I just might recall them," she said, but Dinah knew there had to be a catch. Indeed, she turned around and flashed Severus a sweet smile before asking, "And what will you give me if I tell you?"

Dinah glared at her while Severus scowled. "The more _pressing _question, Miss Umbridge," he said, "Is what we will _do_ to you if you do _not _tell us."

She scoffed, "Oh, what can you and your little wife do to me, Snape? I am _already _a prisoner."

It was Dinah's turn to scowl at her. She was getting a bit sick and tired of being condescended to like this. This woman didn't even _know _her, for Merlin's sake!

"The guard outside claims he and his fellows were _forced _to allow you pink robes and those infernal cat pictures," he gestured to the softly mewling images of animals lining the walls. It was odd, Dinah thought, that she hadn't really noticed or paid much attention to these images before now. Normally, she was a complete pushover when it came to cute things, but there was something… _wrong _with those cats. They didn't feel real and they most definitely didn't feel pure.

"Yes, and what about it?" she demanded, the cats in the images starting to become more animated. That was it. That was the issue with them. It was like they were _channeling _her somehow. That they were her minions.

"I can have it arranged so that your pink robes, cat pictures, and all other privileges are revoked and I am certain that the guards will oblige. The only reason they let you have these things is because they can't figure out a way to… _control _you," he went into his slow, sinister speech mode again, enunciating each word in that tantalizing voice of his. She should really demand that he do this more often. It had sort of gotten pushed to the wayside a bit what with raising the children and all. Yes, he used it a _little _with the children, when they misbehaved, but not quite like this. Almost made having a potential threat like the one they were facing now worth it. Almost.

"_And_?" Umbridge pressed, a couple of the kittens behind her now hissing.

"_And_…" Severus sneered, "I am perfectly happy to work with them to help them find a suitable method to… _subdue _you, Umbridge. Silencing charms apparently do not work… then we will find another method. You know my abilities. Do you want to take that risk?" he stared her down, and Dinah knew that his word was true. He would work with those guards to subdue the woman if she didn't give them the information. But Dinah also knew that he knew it wouldn't come to pass. Because she would give them that information.

The normally false-sweet-faced woman gave Dinah's husband an ugly scowl before saying haughtily, "I do not understand what you could possibly need with the Airaldi family. What makes their whereabouts so important to you?"

"That is our business."

"Well, _I _hid them away so that _no one _could find them."

"Where?" Dinah demanded, throwing herself back into the conversation.

Umbridge snorted and refused to meet her gaze.

"You will answer my wife's question," Severus snarled at her.

The woman grudgingly turned to meet Dinah's gaze and Dinah felt an odd conviction swell within her. Severus had won against the woman twice already in this conversation, and Dinah was _determined _to come out on top at least once before they left. It was a personal challenge she made to herself right then and there. She would get this woman flustered just as her husband could. She would break through the impenetrable barrier.

"They are in an old castle in Wales. Pembrokeshire, to be specific. On the coast. But I assure you, you will not be able to find them. I have positively _covered _it with concealment charms, _and_…" a smug grin spread across her face, "they gave me enough money that I was able to provide a secondary defense. One that no one could penetrate easily."

"And what was that defense?" Dinah asked, for some reason dreading the answer.

She gave that disgusting little giggle again before answering, "Well, I simply… 'borrowed' some of the Dark Lord's dementors."

Dinah felt both her eyebrows shoot up her forehead and, looking at her husband, she saw that his reaction was the same, "You stole the Dark Lord's _dementors_?" Severus repeated.

"Borrowed," she corrected huffily.

"Appropriated, purloined, embezzled," Apparently her husband had just now decided to turn into a thesaurus, "Either way, it was stealing as borrowing implies returning and there is no longer any Dark Lord for you to return them to. That was a high risk you took, Umbridge. Even for money, I am surprised."

"I would not have been caught. His mind was on other things and I had access to them. Besides, twenty dementors was hardly a dent in his army at the time."

"_Twenty_?" Dinah exclaimed. She hadn't faced down that many dementors since her confrontation with the corrupted form of Voldemort's innocent child incarnation, Tommy. Specifically, the missing bit of goodness in him that had been lost when he was a small child and lingered at Hogwarts waiting for the person who could see him and help him. Dinah had been that person, and had managed to return the good to its former shell, which had taken on the form of a flayed baby that could summon dementors. The many dementors had tried to prevent her from accessing Tommy and the corrupting flayed baby and thus saving Tommy, but they had made it through. That had been the day she had seen Severus's new snake Patronus for the first time. And, ultimately she had saved Tommy, bringing peace and goodness back to Voldemort and ending any further threats of that type to the wizrding world. And their son had been given her young friend's name.

Still, the idea of facing that many dementors again was not a pleasant one, and then something occurred to her, "Wait, wouldn't the dementors have dispersed once the Dark Lord – once Voldemort was no longer present?"

"Not necessarily," Severus said, "If they stayed with the Airaldis long enough they may have built a sort of semi-allegiance and remained there. Either way, we need to be prepared to face them."

"Indeed," the horrible woman looked exceedingly proud of herself, "I can give you the location of the castle but you will be hard-pressed to get inside. There are many spells to be neutralized, plus the dementors to contend with," she frowned, "Though I cannot imagine why they are still there. I arranged that they can receive information from the outside world by their request. "

"Meaning that they should know the war is over and they are safe to emerge?" Dinah asked, trying to follow.

"Hmph. Yes, Mrs. Snape, excellent deduction." The condescension again. Dinah was about ready to slap her.

"But they haven't, at least not to anyone's knowledge," it was Severus's turn to frown, "The elder two are in their seventies, perhaps they simply find staying there more comfortable."

"But the son, Andre, he could have left," Dinah continued his train of thought, "And if he did the parents might have some idea why or where he went. We still have to go and talk to them."

"Excuse me? You are looking for the _son_?" Dolores Umbridge interrupted, an irritated frown on her face as she looked back and forth between them.

"That is our business, as I said," Severus repeated, glaring at her, "Unless you have some information about the boy that could be useful to us. Why is it so surprising that we would be looking for him?"

"I wouldn't know, I never spoke to him," she declared, and Dinah had a feeling it was the truth this time. "He didn't seem very involved in his parents' pursuits. I found his absence every time I spoke to them very curious, but it is all I know."

"Fine," Severus snapped, producing a parchment and quill from his robes, casting a couple of spells on them to prevent them from being used for anything but their intended purpose and then shoving them through the bars at Umbridge, "You will write down the exact location of the castle and every single protection spell, charm, curse, jinx, or hex that we will have to neutralize. If you leave _anything _out I will be certain your privileges are revoked."

She gave him another defiant glare but didn't make any verbal complaint as she started writing. Dinah frowned for a moment as she watched her, and decided to take this opportunity to try and get through the woman's thick skull, "Miss Umbridge?"

"What do you want?" she demanded, looking up at Dinah.

"Keep writing," Severus snarled out the order, "You can talk and write at the same time."

"I liked you better when you were Dumbledore's pet, Snape," she bit out, before turning back to the parchment.

"You've been in Azkaban for six years for crimes against Muggle-borns," Dinah began cautiously; "You do… realize why you're in here, don't you?"

"Injustice, that's why I'm in here," she complained as the cats behind her grew agitated, "_Injustice_! I spend the best years of my life devoted to the Ministry and to Fudge and to protecting and purifying our world of insolent liars, powerless weaklings, and the false witches and wizards known as Mudbloods only to be thrown into a dirty cell by a new generation who knows _nothing _about the pure history I tried to preserve. _I_ am pure, you know. I'm related to the Selwyns!"

"Is that so?" Dinah found herself smirking, repeating Severus's words from earlier, "And so, like the Airaldis, you still believe in pureblood supremacy."

"Isn't it obvious?" she scowled, stopping her scrawling with the quill and shoving the objects back at Severus, apparently finished as she moved a bit closer to stare haughtily at Dinah, "Why are you asking me these questions, Mrs. Snape? What is the point? I am imprisoned as you can see. Even if you and all the other Mudbloods find me disagreeable you clearly, as your deliberately unhelpful husband pointed out, won, and so what is the point that you are trying to make?" Her tone was still condescending, her eyes empty of any form of regret or remorse for the things she'd done.

"I am simply trying to understand," Dinah admitted.

"Hmph!" she squeaked, that smug, false, condescending smile appearing on her face again, "Skeeter's book said that you were like this. Ridiculously idealistic. Tell me, Miss 'False Witch with the Stolen Wand', what do you make of me, really? Are you trying to … _reform _me?" she asked with that girlish giggle, "I admit I disagree with my portrayal in some of those books and articles released after my imprisonment. That misbehaving, lying Potter boy's fifth book, especially."

"You mean the one in which you force him to do lines that appear in blood digging into the back of his hand?" Dinah growled. She had never been more appalled at anyone's teaching than she had been when she'd first heard of, and then subsequently read about, this woman's favorite form of punishment. "Yes, I admit I'm trying to hold out some hope that you aren't just the sadistic bitch you appear to be on the outside."

"He deserved that punishment," she said, her voice laced with smug sweetness, "And he knew it, too. He knew he was telling lies. And that's why he didn't complain."

"_No_, he didn't complain because he was a fifteen-year-old with a stubborn sense of pride and he also didn't believe that telling anyone would do anything, though I really wish he _had _reported the incident," Dinah corrected her, "Besides, he was _not _lying and you _know _that now! Voldemort _had _returned, and there's no way you can go back and deny that that was true!" There. See the woman come up with a retort for _that _one.

"'Truth', Mrs. Snape," she said, still smug and unfazed as she made quotes with her thin fingers to enclose the word, "is in the eye of the beholder. No one wanted to hear that news at that time. Thus, it was as good as lies."

"That is utterly ludicrous!" Dinah found herself exclaiming. And when Umbridge just stood there, that pursed-lipped, smug, satisfied, self-important smile never leaving her face, in fact even widening, Dinah felt her fury explode, "How can you sit there with that disgusting smile plastered on your face as if you don't know what you did is wrong? You've been mauled by centaurs, put in prison, and yet all of that trauma _still _isn't enough to make your realize that you deserved it all! That just _maybe _it all happened to teach you a lesson you refuse to learn?"

Umbridge giggled, her tone still laced with condescension, "My, aren't we testy, Mrs. Snape. Those filthy half-breeds attacked me because it is their nature to be foul and violent, and I have already told you why I am imprisoned. In short, no, I have not realized that. Because I most certainly did not deserve any of this treatment." And her tone and expression were full of smug conviction. She truly did not realize that she had done anything wrong.

"No?" Dinah repeated, realizing that she was shouting as her fingers closed around her wand and she withdrew it from her robes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Severus staring at her, but he didn't make any sort of move in her direction. It was more like he was just… curiously observing. And one eyebrow was most definitely raised.

But all her anger and frustration was focused on the woman in front of her. She was _not _going to accept that there was someone she couldn't get through to. At least not without a fight. "I don't understand you! Don't you know that it is _wrong _to hurt other people? Why do you want to hurt other people? What purpose does it serve? Why?"

"I don't know what you are referring to, Mrs. Snape," she replied, holding her head high and mighty as though she had the right to any speck of pride, "I have done nothing but _help _others by ridding our world of liars and Mudbloods and-"

"Shut up! Just shut up and stop making that smug face, you horrible, sadistic woman! I can't believe you – you have no empathy? You are _incapable _of realizing what you did was wrong? Any normal person who endured what you endured from the centaurs and being imprisoned would finally get the message through their thick skull that _maybe _that happened to them because _they _did something horrible! A normal person would realize their mistakes and feel guilt and remorse and think 'maybe I shouldn't have done that', 'maybe it was wrong to hurt others', or even 'I'm sorry', but you feel none of that! No guilt, no remorse! Nothing! You are like an empty, inanimate object! You are clearly defective! Defective!" Dinah concluded, jabbing her wand in the woman's face just far enough away that she couldn't reach it.

And at being declared 'defective' Dolores Umbridge lost her smug demeanor and her expression instead turned to one that was both insulted and affronted.

Dinah had done it. She had broken through the condescension and gotten in a winning blow on the woman. She had won.

But it did little to satisfy her right now. She was just roiling and furious at the fact that a creature like this had the nerve to exist. Someone who could not be changed or reformed. It was disgusting and Dinah found herself livid that she had to be in the presence of someone this sickening. She kept her wand pointed at the woman, trying to find more words to express her fury, "You- you-"

"Dinah," Severus finally stepped in and put a hand on her arm, forcing her to meet his gaze. He was half smirking and half staring, but managed a brief shake of his head, "She is not worth your time." The same words she had used on him earlier about the yelling Death Eater prisoners.

And he was right, of course, Dinah thought, but she just had to turn and growl at the woman one more time, while Umbridge stared back at her, still looking insulted. "You're getting off easy," Dinah snarled, waggling her wand in the woman's face before stepping back.

"We have the information we requested. We need to go," Severus said, showing her the now rolled-up parchment they had obtained from Umbridge with directions on how to reach the Airaldi family's place of asylum.

"Fine," Dinah snapped her agreement, not taking another look back at the sadistic Dolores Umbridge and her demon-kitten minions as she marched to the door and rapped on it, "We're done in here, now let us out," she yelled at the unnamed man, while Severus arrived a little behind, still staring at her with a certain amount of amused caution in his gaze.

The door opened for them and she stormed out, waiting until it shut again behind them before pointing at it and raving, "That sadist! The stories were nothing in comparison with actually standing in that horrible woman's presence! Nothing I said, nothing I tried, _nothing _got through to her! I managed to insult her but what does that mean when the actual problem is something that cannot be solved? She is _completely_ incapable of reform!"

The unnamed man smirked, "And now you see why we guards hate dealing with her."

"Mm, but it _was _worth it to see your vindictive, Slytherin side come out for a moment," Severus told her with a mild suggestive expression and a quirk of a smile, placing a hand on her shoulder, "However, I am sure you realize that you must accept that there are people in this world you can't get through to. That no one can."

"Yes. But only those like her," Dinah huffed, admitting that he was right but not very happy about it as she tucked her wand away again. "It's not my fault though if she is one of those few that are _incapable_. One hundred percent without the capacity for empathy. A textbook psychopath. Or sociopath. I can never remember the difference," she frowned.

"Hm," he agreed with a chuckle, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Then they are the complete opposite of you, my love. Which likely explains the lack of connection. But it is – obviously – through no fault of your own that that is the case."

Dinah sighed, managing a smile as his words started to calm her, "I suppose not."

"There is no reason to stay in this place," he said, taking her hand and turning to the unnamed man, "Please lead us to the exit."

"Yes," he agreed, nodding, "We will take the other staircase." He led them down a new set of steps about equidistant from the one they had come up, and then immediately down another set to a different corridor on the first floor.

Immediately, Dinah sensed a difference, and felt cold again. Pulling her robes more tightly around herself, she watched as they walked past dark, dirty cells, older and filled with more rotting stench than the first corridor. In one she saw a figure shift around in its makeshift bed and cough.

Suddenly she was reminded of their old friend Gellert Grindelwald, wasting away in his cell in Nurmengard for more than fifty years as he slowly grew to lament his past actions and the pain he had caused the man he loved, Albus Dumbledore. Regret and sorrow building that he would never have a chance to repair that relationship and gain back what he had lost. The old magic that revived some of those Voldemort tried to kill, including Severus and Sirius, had functioned to bring about a miracle and give Gellert that second chance, but so many imprisoned people in this world… would never have that.

And surely, some of them deserved it. They weren't all defective like Umbridge. Surely so many were filled with remorse and regret. Even some with life sentences that were fated to never be released to ease those feelings. And even worse, there may still be some wrongly-accused innocents like Sirius had been.

"What is this place?" she murmured to the unnamed man as they passed one cell where an older man just sat against the wall and stared at them. Across the way, two others sat similarly, looking ragged, worn, and as though they weren't even there. Not present in their own skins.

"These are the older prisoners," he said, his voice echoing off the cold stone, "Those who were here before the prison was reformed. Those that spent many years with the dementors."

"What about him? And them? Are they… were they…" Dinah tried to swallow down the dryness in her throat but it didn't help, "kissed?"

"No," the unnamed man shook his head, "Just exposed to the dementors for too many years. The symptoms can be quite similar, given enough time."

"Why would anyone…?" she trailed, unable to finish her sentence but grateful when Severus's arm wound around her waist and pulled her closer. This was too horrible. No matter what anyone did, even Umbridge, the dementor's kiss was too much. How could any country run such an establishment as the old Azkaban? It was so corrupt, so horrible, so ridiculous and cruel and unnecessary…

How the people in these cells had suffered. Dinah felt guilty, but after a few more steps down the awful corridor she could no longer look at them. Most of them weren't all there and those that were were on their way out. Maybe… maybe the damage could be reversed, but it had been six years since the dementors left and yet…

She wanted to ask how many years, on average, the people in this corridor had been imprisoned but she was too afraid to hear the answer. If Sirius hadn't escaped when he did, would he also have…?

She just had to stop thinking about it.


	14. Quality Time

**A/N: Please note that this chapter contains another M scene… finally! LOL. It's pretty obvious where it starts, I think, if you want to skip it, and it (there are two actually) lasts through the end of the chapter. It begins, essentially, when they make it down to the dungeons. And thanks to MRSSPICY and all my reviewers!**

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><p>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<p>

Quality Time

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><p>Dinah was relieved when the torches in the entrance hall once again became visible and the unnamed man bid them a quick farewell, sending them out into the cool, but infinitely more welcoming, night air. "That is a horrible place," she shuddered, turning her gaze up to her husband. "If you had… no," she shook her head and reached up to gently rest her fingers against his cheek. Her precious Severus. If he had ever had to endure Azkaban in <em>addition <em>to everything else he had suffered she just couldn't handle it. It was a miracle that he had managed to avoid this place, "Thank heavens you never had to be here."

His dark eyes softened as he placed a hand over hers, entwining their fingers together, and his other hand lifted to brush soft fingers against her face. He leaned in close, the greasy curtains of his hair falling forward and tickling her forehead as he captured her lips. It was so easy to just try to forget about that cold place and immerse herself in his warmth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his hands tangled in her hair and he used his kiss to thank her for her words. She knew him well enough that she could sense his feelings even if they were unspoken, the gratitude and love all wrapped up in his gesture.

When their lips parted she didn't want to let go and neither, it seemed, did he. So she kept her cheek pressed up against the shoulder of his bat-like robes, closed her eyes, and confessed some of her worries to him, "Severus, tell me the truth… like me, you've also thought… that even if we make it through whatever challenge this letter-writer is presenting, we still might suffer along the way. There might be pain."

Her husband sighed, his warm breath tickling her hair, "It is… possible. Depending upon what he tries to do."

"I know," she sighed, biting her lip, "We can take care of ourselves to a certain extent, but Maylene and Tommy… they're just babies, how can we protect them? Will _they _be all right, Severus? Will they?"

Severus drew back to meet her gaze, "There is no safer place for them than Hogwarts. We will not let them come to any harm. That is a promise we have made with our very lives."

"I know. You're right," she sighed, nodding but unable to get rid of all the worry. Maybe it was just part of being a mother.

"And… perhaps we can take care of this quickly and cleanly, if we find Andre Airaldi and he confesses to whatever his involvement might be. This still could be nothing more than a dramatic prank."

"I hope so," she agreed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the parchment that Dolores Umbridge had written out for them, "My…" she murmured as she perused the list of protective enchantments used to hide the Airaldis from the outside world, "This is quite a list of spells."

"In order to protect them from the Dark Lord it was probably needed."

"Mm…" Dinah noticed that her husband had shifted back into using the term 'Dark Lord' since they had arrived in Azkaban. It wasn't really surprising. It still happened from time to time, though he could say Voldemort, and it did make sense given how long he had been immersed in the 'Dark Lord' terminology.

But there was no longer any Dark Lord. Or any Voldemort. There was only the spirit of the young Tom Riddle, her friend Tommy, finally at peace. She needed to remember that.

"You know… " she began as an idea started to form, "all these dementors guarding the place… It might be the perfect opportunity to let Mae practice her Patronus charm. We could take her and Andrew with us and maybe a little bit of time outside of Hogwarts would be good for their relationship, too."

Severus just stared at her as though she'd gone mad, "You are seriously suggesting that we take a girl who is incapable of producing a Patronus and stick her in front of twenty dementors?"

"We'd be there to produce our Patronuses in case anything went wrong," Dinah assured him, liking her idea more and more as it solidified in her mind, even though she had to admit her husband had a slight point. But her ideas were moving too fast for that, "It would be challenging, sure, but maybe it would impress upon her a little bit how _crucial _it is for her to be able to learn the charm. Nothing like facing down dementors to show you how much value the Patronus has in our world. It might be just the psychological shock that she needs, like exposure therapy. And besides, you said Andrew can at least produce a little bit of light."

"Strange as it is with you suggesting we scare the students into learning their abilities and me suggesting that it is too much, there are yet more points to be made against your ludicrous suggestion. Do you have any idea how much red tape would be involved in getting permission to take Hogwarts students – even seventh years -off school grounds on a non-Hogsmeade weekend to go on holiday with their _professors_? Even with the educational purpose in mind it will be nearly impossible!"

"Oh, you worry too much, I'm sure Minerva will be receptive," she smiled, waving him off, "And at seventeen they don't even need parental consent anymore. Besides, we've met Robert and Kyoko before and they just love us," she said, referring to Mae's parents.

"We have met them three times and they were friendly to us, that hardly constitutes 'loving'."

"Actually, I met Kyoko four times, you remember, when Lucy and I ran into her and Mae in the department store the first summer we were married? And the trip will be perfectly safe. Our snakes can handle twenty dementors easily. I'm sure it'll work out." After all, she had a way of getting people to agree to her demands, if her success at getting the Triwizard Tournament committee to use three dragons of the same species instead of three different species in her second year teaching was any indication. "Now, when do you think we should go? Next weekend?"

He was still raising his eyebrow at her, but gave a slight nod, "The sooner, the better. Of course, that means asking the Blacks to watch the children yet again."

"We'll make it up to them somehow, and ideally it will only be another day trip," she said, "But, you know, the coast of Pembrokeshire at this time of year might still…"

"Still?" he pressed.

Dinah beamed up at him, "be warm enough for ocean swimming!"

She had to suppress a giggle at the scowl that caused to form on his face, "You are _not _getting me into the freezing cold water again for your ridiculous whims!"

"Oh, fine, don't swim with me, spoilsport," she chuckled, "It's not a big deal. Mae and Andrew will want to swim with me in your place, I'm sure."

"I have told you that getting those students to come with us will be nearly impossible!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, "Honestly, Dinah, you are like a child sometimes. You wanted them to come just so you could have someone to go swimming with. This _is _a holiday to you, isn't it?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with killing two birds with one stone," she laughed, stepping forward to take his hand, "Would you relax? At least it's worth a try. They're our _friends_, Severus, even if they are a lot younger than we are, and this is their last year at Hogwarts. Why _not _try to do something fun?" It was cute how he got all frustrated like this. Almost as cute as when he went into sinister mode with Umbridge. Though that was more… tempting.

He scowled at her, but relented a bit, "Try it if you want to, I still highly doubt it will work. And if the dementor situation goes wrong then _you _are responsible for the consequences."

She shook her head, "Severus Snape, you _know _that I would never let any harm come to our friends. It'll be fine."

"If you insist," he smirked, shaking his head, "Now, have you any more brilliant plans or can we go home?"

"Don't whine at me," she teased, tracing his cheek with a finger, "You can be pretty childlike yourself sometimes, you know? There's nothing wrong with that. We were even kids together once."

His lips finally quirked into a little smile, "Yes. We were."

"And yes, let's go home," she agreed, turning back to look up at the huge, foreboding fortress behind them that was Azkaban, "I want to see our babies and the Blacks and surround ourselves once again with people who actually have names and people who aren't half-dead and, most importantly, people who aren't like that horrible woman," she sighed and leaned against his chest again, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Yes," he sighed, hugging her close, "Azkaban is not a pleasant place to visit and I hope we never have to do so again."

"Me too…"

All of a sudden, her husband's demeanor changed and she felt the warm rumbling of his light laughter coursing through her body. It felt good and she couldn't help but smile, leaning back to meet his gaze, "What?"

"You called her defective."

Dinah covered up a giggle, "I did, didn't I? Well, it seemed like the best choice of words."

"It was the perfect choice of words," he said, still laughing, "I couldn't have said it better myself."

She laughed, "I didn't think I'd ever have a nemesis worse than Filch, but I guess I've got one now. I won though, you know. Did you see the look on her face when I called her that?"

"Of course, which makes it only more amusing. And, of course, seeing your vindictive side is always a pleasure…" he purred, his turn to trace a teasing finger along her cheek.

Dinah felt her cheeks heat up and reached up to trace her fingers along the back of his hand, "Oh, stop flattering me…"

"Hm," he said with an amused smirk, "Shall we go home, fetch the children, put them to bed and then take full advantage of its reappearance today?"

"Mmmm," she moaned, closing her eyes and stepping a little closer to him, enjoying the sensations his words and his fingers brought to her body, "Yes, and also the reappearance of the sinister Severus Snape and his use of slow speech and tantalizingly-phrased threats…"

A pleased, suggestive smile spread across his face and he nodded, brushing his lips against hers as he pulled her into his arms. And on that note, they Apparated away from that horrible place and to their much-happier home.

* * *

><p>Severus rapped on the door of the Blacks' rooms as they stood back in the warm, comfortable halls of Hogwarts. Dinah didn't think she could fully express how good it felt to be back, and so just waited to see her wonderful friends and children.<p>

"Hi," Lucy chirped, opening the door with Adara resting against her shoulder.

"Hi," Dinah felt a smile form at the sight of the little baby, and it only widened when they walked in and their little children ran up to greet them, shrieking 'Mummy! Daddy!'

Dinah caught Maylene and lifted the little girl up into her arms with a tight hug, while Severus greeted Tommy similarly. "Hi, baby. Did you have a good day?" she asked, feeling more comforted from her horrible trip with the little girl's small arms strangling her neck.

"Yes!" May gushed, "Owen and me made some things out of blocks with 'Tair and-"

Maylene kept talking, but Dinah lost track of what she was saying when Sirius entered the room holding Altair by the hand. She remembered the poor, lost individuals in the cells at Azkaban and the cold and filth and loneliness that permeated the place and nothing could comfort her anymore until she felt she had done even the smallest thing about it. "Maylene, get down for a second, okay?" she asked, gently lowering her daughter to the floor and rushing forward to wrap her arms around Sirius's shoulders. "I am… _so… _sorry," she murmured, afraid words could never be enough.

"Um, for what?" Sirius asked, using his free arm to hug her back.

"That you ever had to be there," she explained, "That horrible place… for so long. It's so wrong… those poor people. I can't even imagine, I really can't…" she found herself blinking back tears, but was able to successfully hold them in.

"It's okay," he murmured, "I'm long past that place and I've got no reason to be going back."

"Good," she nodded, drawing back to meet his gaze, "I just want you to know that I wish so much that it hadn't happened and that you have so many people who care about you and feel the same way. Sorry if it's a little sappy. I just really wanted you to know how sorry I am. It was really hard to see that place and think that you had to suffer there for so many years."

"Thanks," he said, looking over towards where Lucy was standing.

"Are you okay, Mummy?" Maylene asked, tugging on Dinah's robes, her little face worried as Tommy stood next to her. They didn't often see her in any kind of distress.

Dinah smiled and smoothed her hair, "I'm fine, sweetheart. Now both of you hug your Uncle Sirius and tell him thank you for all the fun you had today, okay?"

"Thank you, Uncle Sirius!" Maylene shrieked, as she and Tommy ran forward to wrap their arms around his legs.

"Was fun!" Tommy emphasized.

"You're welcome," he said, patting both the kids on the head, "and remember, don't say anything about those secret cookies."

"Oh, you liar!" Dinah teased Sirius, laughing as she moved back to stand next to her husband, "I _told _you that you could give them those cookies."

"Yes, unless he gave them more," Severus said with a raised eyebrow.

"You're one to talk, man who started the whole thing," Dinah teased him next causing a half smile to appear on his face.

"As far as I know he didn't," Lucy told her.

"Can Maylene and Tommy stay?" Owen asked, coming out of the bathroom, "We were having fun."

"Oh, I don't know, Owen," Dinah hesitated. The kids did sometimes have sleepovers but she didn't really want to put Lucy and Sirius out, especially as they needed them to take their children again next weekend, "Your Mummy and Papa are probably tired of having all of you and, Lucy, I'm afraid we have to go try to locate this family next weekend and would really appreciate it if you took the kids again… probably just for one day."

"As long as it's okay with the two of you we don't mind them staying. I know how it is trying to… get some alone time with kids constantly needing something from you. Not that I don't enjoy it but…" Lucy shrugged. "Next weekend shouldn't be a problem either. Even if we do decide to go to Hogsmeade House we can always take Maylene and Tommy with us. Unless you'd rather we stay at Hogwarts of course. I suppose it depends on the information you found…"

"That's what it will probably depend on," she agreed with a sigh, "Thanks, though. If you don't _mind _taking them then that's fine. May, Tommy, do you want to stay with Owen, Altair, and Adara tonight?"

"Yes!" was her chorus of replies.

She smiled at Lucy as Severus chuckled next to her, "Well, there you have it."

"I guess so. Oh, before you two scamper off I've got that book for you, Dinah." She waved her wand and Harry's latest book, about his seventh year, came floating out to Dinah.

"Oh!" Dinah exclaimed, taking it into her waiting hands with a little thrill of excitement, "Thanks, Lucy! I can't wait to get started on it!"

Severus, on the contrary, shot Lucy a challenging glare, "Why must you do this to me?"

"Well your wife asked for it for one thing…and besides I like messing with you."

Dinah grinned, but Severus was just not happy right now, "That is not even the point!" he snarled, "_Every single time _Dinah reads one of those books something dramatic happens!"

"I don't know _what _you're talking about," Dinah decided to play the innocent, not meeting her husband's gaze. But there was probably no point in pretending he wasn't right, and she expected he would go off on a rant about it now.

She was not disappointed. "Is that so?" he smirked, "The first book you screamed at every time one of the Golden Trio or their little friends claimed that _I _was the one responsible for the problems at the school and not Quirrell, the second book you squealed every time I came into the room and demanded that I re-enact the duel scene with Lockheart, the third book you ranted for a week about the words the Marauder's map used against me and why they were wrong and then gushed on and on about how I protected the students from the werewolf, the fourth book you yelled at me for insulting the Granger girl even though I _thought _we had worked that issue out during our second year of marriage, the fifth book you scolded me mercilessly for purposely ruining Potter's Potions assignment as revenge for his looking in the pensieve, and the sixth one you took a page out of this one's book," he made a dramatic gesture at Lucy, "and cried for an hour about what I had to do to the headmaster."

"Well, it was a horrible thing to have to do," Dinah defended, feeling a little sad just thinking about it.

"Yes," he murmured, gently cupping her cheek, "But that, like Sirius's Azkaban situation, is now past."

She couldn't help but smile, reaching up to touch his hand, "I know. I _promise _I'll try not to be dramatic this time, okay?"

"I don't know that I believe you," he smirked, "But I suppose I can't stop you from reading it."

"That's true," she agreed with a smile, then turned to Lucy, "It seems the family in concern is hiding out in an old castle on the coast of Pembrokeshire, so that's where we'll be going. And the season's just right for ocean swimming so Mae and Andrew are coming with us."

Severus sighed and corrected, "She _thinks_ they're coming with us. Dinah, do you think it might be prudent to avoid making blanket statements until you've actually gotten permission to take them along? And the season is not 'just right' for swimming, it is _barely _right for swimming at the end of September, even in Wales. Anyone in their right mind wouldn't do it, even those who actually enjoy the ridiculous act."

"Did you hear him just call me crazy?" Dinah teased, looking at Lucy and pointing her thumb at Severus, "He's been whining at me all day."

"Mm, I did," Lucy nodded, a teasing glint in her eye, "Next thing you know there'll be an inquiry by the Board of Governors."

"Likely not," Sirius said, "Unless Dinah has some sort of long lost father that's going to start throwing around accusatory statements too," he said, referring to Lucy's estranged father who had upset the entire British wizarding community for a time some years back by claiming his daughter was mad and unfit to teach at Hogwarts, due to the extreme depression she had experienced after Sirius's death and before his revival.

"Ah… no," Dinah said, feeling her face turn a little red as she hung her head. She didn't want to admit it, but she still so often felt bad that she had grown up in a normal family, contrary to all three of the other adults in the room. It wasn't her fault, but… "I don't think I have such a thing."

"So how is the former Hogwarts High Inquisitor?" Sirius asked as the four oldest children ran off to play and Adara fell asleep against Lucy's shoulder.

"Oh!" Dinah felt her fury return as soon as her mind settled again on the sadistic bitch from Azkaban, "She is _horrible_!" she snarled, causing Lucy and Sirius to look a bit surprised at her hostility, "A horrible woman!"

"Dinah has a new nemesis," Severus explained with a smirk.

"Uh oh," Lucy grinned, "I'd like to think of Umbridge as one person I could happily watch get kissed."

Dinah shook her head, "No. I understand what you're saying, but no. I don't think anyone deserves that that _has _a soul in the first place, but I'm starting to think that Umbridge doesn't. She's like a defective, sadistic robot. I don't think the dementors would even want her."

"Yeah, the woman can't possibly have a soul with the things she's done and she thinks she's in the right for having done."

"Exactly!" Dinah was glad Lucy understood her frustrations about that particular bit of it, the things Umbridge did that she thought were in the right, "That woman makes me sick! She's a sadistic, narcissistic, psychopath slash sociopath! Every single evil, nasty psychological affliction, she's got it." Dinah snorted, "I'm surprised she's not a serial killer."

"You really _do _watch too many Muggle crime shows," Severus muttered, reaching out to grasp her arm.

"I do not!" she protested, whirling on him, not in the mood to have her statements condescended to at the moment.

"Here," Lucy said, "Hold a sleeping baby. You can't argue if you're holding a sleeping baby."

"He started it," Dinah grumbled, but felt herself smile as she took the little Adara into her arms. Sleeping babies certainly were irresistible.

"Is that so?" Severus questioned, still holding onto her arm as she frowned up at him to show him her lingering disapproval. However, instead of looking annoyed an odd little smirk tugged at his lips, "Though the baby seems to be helping, I was going to suggest we take advantage of this fire of yours and head back home for the night…"

It was amazing, Dinah thought, how one little phrase from him had her mood switching from frustration to lust.

"And here I was hoping you'd stay to dinner," Lucy said, "but I completely understand."

"Ah… yeah…" Dinah said, turning an apologetic glance to her friend, afraid her face was flushed, "Some other time, I'm sure. Here…" she offered Adara back.

"Yes, please give us the baby back before you do any ravishing of each other in front of my child," Sirius said, taking Adara.

"You're one to talk," Severus smirked at him, his finger's tightening around Dinah's. Merlin, just touching him was lighting a fire within her right now. His fingers were so warm… strong… masculine… and he was right, she had so much fire and energy left in her that she had built up with Umbridge and it just needed some kind of outlet.

"The first two were asleep when this one was…brought into being," Sirius retorted.

Severus didn't respond, just pulled Dinah back against his dark robes and said near her ear, "We need to go."

"Mmm," she let him pull her towards the door and flashed a sheepish grin at Lucy, "Uh, see you around… say good-night to the children for us, they seem to be wrapped up in their play…"

"No problem," Lucy grinned, waving them out, "See you tomorrow."

And with that, Severus had whisked them out the door and into the hall.

"Merlin, Severus…" Dinah's body decided to start acting all on its own and she had her husband pinned against the wall while she tried to rub herself up against him, moving her leg to attempt to wrap it around his torso.

His eyebrows shot up and he forced her leg back to the floor, pulling her tight into him, but unfortunately so tight that she couldn't do much more than squirm, "My, aren't we impatient. Might I remind you that this is the school hallway and students are passing by? Try to…" he lowered his lips to her ear and said slowly, "_contain _yourself until we're back home."

"Then take me there, _now_," she growled into his ear, nuzzling her face into the hair that she loved so much, "Don't make me wait. I don't think I can."

"Merlin…" it was his turn to mutter, "Dare I suggest taking you to visit Umbridge more often?"

"Shut up," she hissed, nipping at his ear.

"It is moments like these," he groaned, "that I wish Apparition was permitted here in Hogwarts." He drew back with the utmost reluctance and began dragging her through the halls towards their dungeon home. Dinah had no trouble keeping up with him; in fact she was ahead of him by the time they made it there. They had both ignored the few students watching them as they passed, probably wondering what had their two professors in such a rush, and were finally safe in the confines of their dungeon home.

They weren't even in the main living area yet, but still in Severus's office, when all Dinah's pent-up energy threatened to consume her and she grabbed the collar of his robes, pulling his lips down to her and driving her tongue into his mouth as her back slammed against one of the closed potions cupboards. She heard some rattling inside, but ignored it; too distracting was the taste of her husband's kiss.

Even more surprising, Severus also ignored the rattling as his hands wandered down to part her robes and slide along her hips, his touch only fanning the flames that already burned inside of her. A breathless moan escaped her lips as he reached into her knickers to stroke her. She let her own hands wander to the swollen front of his trousers where he was hard with desire, and fumble with the zipper to release him so he could enter her. It did not take them long to dispense with their lower undergarments and he lifted her hips to drive in, the noises behind them returning as he thrust. Hopefully whatever was rattling would not break and explode on them, but even if it did Dinah suspected they would not notice.

It was rough and rushed on both their parts, but it felt _so _good and Dinah felt the tension of the day release itself at the same time that Severus released _himself_ inside of her and her body screamed out its own release. It was convenient that for the past three years they did not have to think about things like protection spells and could just throw themselves at each other with abandon when the whim struck, due to Severus having volunteered to go to St. Mungo's and eliminate the potential pregnancy problem on his end. Really, she was lucky to have such an accommodating, non-squeamish husband.

They fell against each other, sweating and out of breath. "Are you…" Severus heaved, lifting his head to smirk at her, "satisfied now?"

"_That_, my darling Severus Snape," she panted, reaching up to whisper in his ear, "is a stupid question."

He rumbled with laughter for a moment, his hands still sliding along her hips, as they adjusted themselves back into more upright standing positions and a few more rattling noises made it to their ears.

Dinah frowned a little and looked back at the cupboard, "Did we break anything?"

"Doubtful," he said, reaching past her to open up the cupboard and set upright some of the vials and jars that had tipped over and were rolling around on their sides, "The glass is shatterproof now that we have the children, as you know."

"Ah, yes," she teased him, "You continue to add safety measures, but only after you've had a close call. I'll never get you to think these things through ahead of time."

"Silence, you minx," he snarled back, his dark eyes glinting with mischief as he closed the cupboard and nuzzled his long nose against her ear. Merlin, that nose. She just loved his nose. And his hair, and… somehow, she had a feeling she wasn't quite done for the night but she would probably need a few more minutes to be fully ready again.

"I suppose we should leave your office and get back inside now," she purred, sliding her hands around his waist and down his bum.

"Indeed. Shall we dress ourselves first?" he asked, nodding at their undergarments and other random pieces of clothing from their lowered bodies that littered the floor. Dinah felt like she was still wearing one sock, though, but she didn't check to confirm it, she was too busy staring at her husband's body.

Dinah grinned, reaching up to finger the shiny black buttons of his frock coat, "Why bother? I would much rather finish _undressing _ourselves as we are clearly alone for the evening and it is quite warm in our cozy dungeons."

He raised an eyebrow at her, but did not argue as she unbuttoned him, and in fact moved to remove her robes as well. She took a break from her own task to close her eyes and indulge a bit the feel of his hands on her shoulders and breasts, before needing to touch him too and finishing her job, running her hands across his chest. "See?" she offered, "Isn't this much better?"

"I somehow sense that you are not as satisfied as you claim."

"Oh, I'm very satisfied, I just want more where that came from," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his collarbone, "But all in good time. Let's go have a seat on our favorite green sofa, shall we?"

"I also sense that this is going to be a very pleasant evening," he added, his gaze intensifying as they made their way to the sofa and settled down, Dinah turning towards him and twining her legs around his, resting her head against his bare shoulder and nuzzling in. He was right. This _was _going to be a very pleasant evening.

"I'll talk to Minerva about Mae and Andrew first thing Monday morning," she told him, rubbing her foot against his.

Severus sighed, his right hand wandering up and down her leg, "Perhaps it would be prudent to first talk to the students _themselves_?"

"Ah, that's true," she chuckled to herself, her eyes fluttering shut a little in the sensuousness of it all, "I forgot about that."

He heaved another sigh, "What would you do without me?"

"I'd be utterly lost, of course, just as you would be without me," she smiled, moving to first kiss and then rest her forehead against his shoulder, "I love you."

His lips moved to her hair and she felt his smile, then saw it when he tilted her chin up to face him, his thumb stroking along the side of her cheek with a gentle touch, "You are perfect. Even if you are childish sometimes."

Dinah closed her eyes and laughed, "Thank you for putting up with me, then."

"Mm," Severus murmured agreement, his voice like silk and his lips even softer as they captured hers. She let her fingers tangle in his hair and just enjoyed their tongues playing together for a while before her semi-dormant hormones woke up again, and she let her fingers slide down his chest to his stomach and then further down to stroke along his length. Her touch elicited a groan from him and it did not take long for him to become hard once more. He shifted so he was leaning over her and she leaned back, their legs unwinding but only for a moment as they pulled them up onto the couch. His lips trailed along her neck and continued on that path as she wrapped her legs around his again.

Dinah moaned and arched her back when his kisses reached her breasts, his tongue teasing on and around her nipples and his fingers sliding between her legs. Words could not even begin to describe how talented he was at pleasing her, which was fine because she generally could not speak when he was doing this to her anyway. It was that good.

This time was not as rough as the last, but it was still quite intense as he entered her and she rocked against his thrusts, groaning with pleasure until her hunger for him was satiated with another gasp of release. He followed seconds after and his hard, masculine body collapsed against her, his sweaty hair tickling her face and his breathing quick and even in her ear. She felt her own hands go limp with exhaustion and a satisfied smile spread across her face. Twice in one night was more tiring now that they were in their forties, but it was well worth it, she thought as she lifted her hands to wrap around him, murmuring, "Thank you again…"

He chuckled, lifting his head to smile at her, the curtains of his hair effectively blocking them off from the world, "It is I who should be thanking you," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her neck as they adjusted themselves more comfortably on the sofa, their heads on the pillow and her back against his chest.

Dinah took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the smile refusing to leave her lips as she let her body relax. It hit her again, as it often did, how lucky she was to have this man as her husband, to feel this kind of contentment. He had given her the perfect life, a home, acceptance in the Wizarding world, and two beautiful children. And his love, the most precious gift of all.

"It's still so early," she yawned, stroking her fingers along the back of his hand, her arms wrapped over his across her stomach, "And we haven't eaten yet."

"Mm. I confess that my body does not want to move so if my snidget would like to eat that is her responsibility," he muttered.

Dinah had to laugh, tightening her arms around his as a feeling of warmth swam through her. She had quite an appetite, but her metabolism was, apparently, fast enough to keep her at a slender weight, and so Sev liked to compare her to the rare hummingbird-like golden snidget, which the golden snitch in Quidditch was based off of. "Quidditch is going to be odd this year, isn't it?" she asked, her mind shifting subjects accordingly.

"I assume the age ratio will shift," he agreed, "Which may or may not lead to us having to watch games filled with incompetence." With many fifth, sixth, and seventh year students traveling to Durmstrang for the Triwizard Tournament this year, it was likely there would need to be tryouts to fill the team slots that would open up, and just as likely that most of those slots would be filled by the younger students who were available. Five years ago, when the Tournament was held at Hogwarts, Quidditch was cancelled to make way for the Tournament tasks, but Minerva did not want to do that this time, since the tasks would not be held at Hogwarts. Plus, the headmistress was quite a Quidditch fan, having been a player herself in her Hogwarts days, and quite amusingly still Gryffindor-biased even though she was supposed to be impartial now that she was heading up the school. Consequently, she and Severus were still quite at odds when the games came up.

"Ever my lover of children," Dinah teased him, smiling, "And what, pray tell, are you going to do when May and Tommy reach that 'age of incompetence'?"

"I'd rather not think about it at the moment," he grumbled, and she laughed again, turning around to kiss him.

"Don't worry, they might not even try out for Quidditch," she assured.

Severus smirked, "We shall see. I will be proud of them one way or the other, but only them and none of their incompetent peers."

"Oh, Sev… not even Owen, Altair, or Adara?" she asked of Lucy and Sirius's children, smiling.

He sighed, a smile of his own tugging at his lips, "What have you done to me, Dinah? There are now so many children that I am forced to like."

"I never forced you to like anybody, you did that on your own," she told him, rubbing her nose against his and making him blush. Her stomach rumbled a little and she sighed, "I _am _quite hungry now. Maybe a little bit of dinner… can you move yet?"

"No," he grumbled, now just being stubborn.

"Is that so?" she teased, adjusting her position a little to try and get up, when an idea occurred to her, "Oh! I should read a chapter in Harry's book!" she exclaimed, scrambling up from the couch.

Severus let out an agitated groan behind her, "Can't it _wait_?" he bit out, slamming his head into the pillow in frustration.

"Oh," she bit her lip, embarrassed that her thoughts had gotten ahead of her again, "Our romantic evening. Sorry. I think it would have hit me eventually, I just had this sudden whim…"

"I have told you what I think of your 'whims'," he snarled, sitting up to glare at her.

But Dinah felt another smile form as she looked down at him, "I take after Gellert with whims a little, I guess, though thankfully not too much," she leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead, and then knelt to be level with his gaze, "I'm sorry. I'm not going to read the book."

"Is that so?" he was still glaring.

"Mm," his glares could not get her down, and she was going to make him smile, she thought as she climbed up to sit next to him on the couch, facing him and looking up into his eyes, "You know what? I may act childish sometimes, but I never could have found that part of myself… the part I was afraid to show in our world for so many years and even when I started teaching… I never would have found it again if it wasn't for you," she said, resting her hand in the middle of his chest.

The smile she had hoped for took shape on his face and he leaned down to kiss her lips, this time with a gentle caress, laying his hand over hers and moving it so she could wrap her arms around his waist as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "There are no words," he murmured into her hair after a few silent moments.

Dinah felt herself melt into a puddle of goo in his arms, as she knew just what he meant by that. That there were no words to describe how much he loved her. "I know," she whispered, closing her eyes and cuddling in closer, "Me too."


	15. Embarking

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the long hiatus between the last chapter and this one. Life has been insane. I also apologize for the somewhat lackluster update this time, but rest assured that I will keep working on this and that the story will get much deeper and the plot will thicken very soon. I want to thank every single person who has reviewed so far: CommanderValeria, brontefan, Aveira Eurydice Lachrimae, Amani Ishikawa, DeadlyDaringLove, corinna, MRSSPICY, animechick247, Myrakle, Satingirl, Hbplover, and Kiriari, as well as those who favorited the story. If I've been reading any of your stories, again I'm so sorry for being absent for so long but I will definitely be continuing reading them soon. Thanks so much for your patience everyone! Enjoy!**

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><p>CHAPTER FIFTEEN<p>

Embarking

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><p>"<em>Where <em>are you going again? Why won't you tell me?" Lisette demanded for the hundredth time as Mae wandered around her dorm stuffing clothes and things into her bag just in case they needed to stay overnight this weekend, while Alexander flew in agitated circles above her head.

Mae sighed and tried not to meet her friend's gaze. She had been trying to skirt the issue as long as possible, but Lisette Jorkins was nothing if not persistent, "I told you, I just have to take care of something for school. It's been approved by the headmistress so it's not as though I'm breaking any rules."

"But it's not even a Hogsmeade weekend! No one _ever _gets to leave the grounds except for Hogsmeade weekends or emergencies, and you're not acting like there's any kind of emergency. So why are you and Andrew suddenly so special?" she pressed.

She shrugged, zipping up her bag, "No reason."

"I knew it," Lisette muttered, her tone dark.

Mae heaved another sigh, standing up and throwing her newly-packed bag onto the bed before fixing Lisette with an agitated glare, "Knew what?"

"You're going somewhere with _them_, aren't you?"

Mae shook her head, appalled as she always was at her friend's attitude. No matter how many years passed by, Lisette refused to even try to come to like or trust Professors Snape, even though they gave her no reason that Mae could see to find them threatening, "And if I am? Lisette, why can't you listen to reason? They're good people. I don't know why you refuse to see it!"

"You _are _going with them, then! How on Earth did they manage it? Where are they taking you? You can't honestly tell me that this seems on the level."

"We're just going somewhere, that's all." She couldn't tell Lisette that they were taking her and Andrew to help them on a mission that contained dementors. That would only make her friend more suspicious.

"See, you can't even tell me!" Either way, Mae could not win.

"Look, as I said, the headmistress approved this. You trust _her_, don't you?" Maybe she could get around Lisette that way.

"Well… yes, but… look, I just think it's weird that you spend so much time with those professors. Even when you were young. Yeah, I know they turned into kids for a time, but… it's still sort of creepy. And did you even _read _the things that Rita Skeeter wrote about them?"

Mae set her jaw and firmly shook her head, her irritation starting to get the best of her, "No, and I've told you I never intend to. Everything that woman writes are lies and garbage, anyway! Would youwant her to write an article about _you_?"

She frowned, "No, but there could still be nuggets of truth here and there in her writing. There were about Dumbledore. Besides, even if the Snapes aren't evil or whatever and even if it's somehow okay to speak parseltongue as you say, I still think they're suspicious. They're involved in too much… strangeness. Look at the things they've dealt with in the past. And now you're getting involved with it, too. It's not safe. They involved you enough in their drama the _last _time, you know with all those materials from your grandfather and what not."

"All we did was help them research and get them good information to help take care of that mysterious threat to our school in first year. Andrew and I were never in any danger. They wouldn't put us in danger."

"And that's another thing! Why are you going with _Andrew_? I thought you said you had a fight. I thought maybe you were finally seeing the light and going to break up with him, but I guess not. He's not trustworthy either, Mae. Look at his family, his history."

That was it. Now Lisette had gone too far. Sometimes Mae honestly wondered why she was still friends with her, the way she seemed to disapprove of everyone Mae associated with. "I love him, Lisette!" she bit out, snarling as she grabbed her bag from the bed, "That's not going to change just because of some stupid fight. And Andrew is perfectly trustworthy; he's never done anything to hurt me, not one little thing. And I'll admit that our relationship with the Snapes is a little… different, but they've never done anything to hurt us either! If you want to spend the rest of your life being stubborn and telling me what to do you can just forget it. Go find someone else to hound!"

"Mae…" Lisette blinked, taken aback by Mae's exclamation, "I just… look, I'm only worried about you because you're my friend and I care! That's no reason for you to shout at me!" she recovered from her hurt and shock quickly and retaliated.

But Mae had no patience for her right now. "Well, I don't care! Stop telling me how to live my life!" she declared, storming from the room and slamming the door. She'd fought with Lisette before, and so she didn't really worry about them not making up. Though right now she didn't know if she felt like making up at all.

As she stormed down the winding staircase that led from her dorm room into the common area, she felt her feet and breathing slow as another, calming presence joined her. "You were shouting, Mae," a shy voice said.

Looking above and a little in front of her, Mae managed a smile at the wispy young woman who had floated down to say hello, "Helena. Yeah, I'm sorry…"

"You're fighting with Lisette again?" the ghost asked.

Mae sighed and gave a nod. Helena Ravenclaw, the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower and known as 'The Grey Lady' by those who were not familiar with her and who didn't realize she didn't like the name, was good company when you were alone and just needed a quiet moment to talk with another. She considered the ghost her friend, ever since first year when the seventh-year Luna Lovegood had introduced them. Luna had had a closer relationship with Helena than even most Ravenclaws, and so too did Mae.

"For the usual reasons?" Helena asked.

Again, Mae nodded, "How can you be friends with somebody when they hate your boyfriend and your other friends? Or at least when they don't trust them? The implication is really that she doesn't trust _me_."

"I understand," Helena nodded, "But I don't think Lisette thinks about it that way. You two have been friends for a long time."

"I know. And I still want to be her friend… there are moments when it's great between us, it's just… every time Andrew or the Snapes come up…"

"Mm. She doesn't trust them. But you _have _been having a hard time this year because of your conflict with Andrew. She's seen what it's done to your class performance."

"I know that!" Mae snapped, "But that doesn't mean Andrew's done anything _wrong_."

"I'm sorry," Helena's gaze drifted towards the floor, "I meant nothing by it."

"No… it's all right. I shouldn't have yelled. I'm just still a little out of sorts right now. I know you all care about me, but I can figure this out. We're going to Pembrokeshire with the Snapes today. If anyone can help us through this they can. If Lisette would just give them a chance she'd see how much they care about both Andrew's and my happiness."

"Mm. Yes, we ghosts have heard of the trip you have planned. The Snapes do seem like good people. Myrtle speaks highly of them. And the children are rather sweet, like the Black children. Though," she gave a small smile, "That one that's named after you can be trouble."

Mae finally felt herself smile, and even laughed a little, "It's true, Maylene is quite the stinker. Thanks, Helena. I feel a little better now."

"You're welcome. Have a safe trip."

She bid Helena farewell, feeling much better as she headed out through the common room, waving to a group of friends along the way – friends who didn't judge her, and exited into the Hogwarts halls. She was going to meet Andrew halfway between here and the Slytherin common room before they both continued on to the front hall to meet Professors Snape.

Now Mae began to feel nervous again. After the incident in the library a week ago, things had been very awkward between her and her boyfriend for a time. They had eventually made up but… things were still awkward. In fact, ever since he had started demanding she spend Christmas with his family their relationship had been strained. She loved him with all her heart. What she had told Lisette hadn't been a lie. But she was starting to fear this awkwardness would never go away.

Her chest tightened up a bit when she spied him waiting for her in the hall. She missed the days when everything was normal between them. "Hi," she managed, walking up and giving him a hesitant smile.

"Hi," he returned it similarly, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah…" she walked up and hugged him. It didn't feel quite the same as it usually did, but she needed to put her arms round him and cuddle up to him, even for just a moment. Why couldn't he understand that her feelings about his family had nothing to do with her feelings for him? She had tried to explain that when they made up, but his responsiveness had been limited and she was left wondering if he really understood.

"Okay…" he trailed, kissing the top of her head, but with hesitancy. She hated the hesitancy.

But there was no helping it right now. They couldn't be late to meet the Snapes. She drew back from him and took his hand instead, offering him a hopeful smile which he managed to return as they began walking down the hall, stopping at a window so she could whistle for Alexander, the Scops owl flying in and making circles around her head as they made their way to the front hall.

Mrs. Professor Snape's response to anything cute was to coo, squeal, or even squeak a little, and her reaction upon seeing Alexander with them did not disappoint. "Aww, he's so adorable," she gushed when they walked up, "You two ready to go?" Next to her, her husband was scowling as normal.

Mae chuckled, releasing Andrew's hand and summoning Alexander to perch on her shoulder, getting another endearing look from her Muggle Studies professor and close friend. It was strange, really, that the older woman could feel so much like an ordinary girlfriend despite their almost thirty-year age difference. It was different, yes, but it couldn't be a bad thing. Lisette just didn't understand. "We're ready."

"Good," Mr. Professor Snape said, all business as he fixed them both with a frown, "This is not a pleasure trip. You are here to learn and to gain practice in applying that knowledge. The only reason the headmistress is even allowing this is because my wife is strangely talented at getting her way with things," he explained, raising an eyebrow at them as the wife in concern grinned and lifted a hand to proudly indicate her guilt. "Is that understood?" he pressed.

Again, Mae had to laugh, "Yes, Sir. Perfectly."

"Yes, Sir," even Andrew sounded amused. Merlin, how could Lisette think badly of these two characters?

"So have you both been brushing up on your _Italiano _for our _visita _with the Airaldis?" his wife asked with a grin.

He, on the other hand, heaved a sigh, bringing a hand to his forehead and shaking his head, "Two days I've had to put up with this. You are like a child."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with expanding my language repertoire," she retorted.

"Uh…" Mae had to laugh at them again, "I think I only know _buongiorno_. At least that I could use in regular conversation."

"And _ciao_," Andrew added, before sneezing.

"Yes, that too," she agreed.

"Well, you'd be able to greet and bid people farewell, anyway," Mrs. Professor Snape smiled, "That's not such a bad thing. And with your dark hair you could pass for a native… all of you could except for me. Plus, you're fluent in Japanese, that's impressive enough."

"Ahh, well," Mae blushed, "It's easy when your grandparents were born there. Shall we go then?"

"Yes, and we're not going to Italy, Dinah, we are going to visit a family who has lived here for a hundred years. I hardly think speaking Italian or having dark hair to 'blend in' is going to matter," her husband insisted, rolling his eyes.

"After all this, we might_ have_ to make a trip to Italy. After all, what have I been studying the language for two days for?" she teased him back before turning to address Mae and Andrew, "All right, if you've got everything and you're ready I see no reason not to start our journey," she whirled and pointed both hands at the doors, "_Vámanos_!"

"That's Spanish and you only know it because of that ridiculous American cartoon the children watch!" Mr. Professor Snape informed her, exasperated.

"Well, it's an adorable show," she defended.

He smiled, shaking his head again as he walked up to rest a hand on the small of her back, "Well, the children seem to enjoy it at any rate. Shall we go?"

Mae smiled, wishing Lisette could be here now. No one could ever think Professor Snape a monster if they had a chance to see the way he looked at his wife and children.

Yes, she thought as the doors opened and they headed out of the school to begin the first leg of their journey. She would vow to end any negative reputation Skeeter's horrible book brought upon these two, in any way that she could. Her friends deserved that.


	16. Facing Darkness

**A/N: Hello everyone! Again, so sorry for the long stretches in between updates as of late… life is pretty busy, but rest assured I will keep working on this and I really appreciate all of your interest and comments. Thank you most recently to brontefan, MRSSPICY, and Amani Ishikawa, and to everyone else who has reviewed. If you can, please also check out the fluffy one-shot I wrote for this past Christmas entitled 'A Snowy London Christmas', featuring Dinah and Severus, which can be accessed from my profile. And thanks again to brontefan and MRSSPICY for their reviews on it. Enjoy the following chapter, once again from Mae's POV. :)**

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><p>CHAPTER SIXTEEN<p>

Facing Darkness

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><p>"Well, this is a gloomy beach," Mrs. Professor Snape said as they emerged onto the long stretch of sand very near to where they would supposedly find the Airaldi's castle.<p>

Mae looked around, taking it in, and had to agree. "It's a gloomy day, that might be a part of it," she tried, shivering a little as a breeze blew through. The day was grey and clouds blocked out the sun. It was fairly warm, but with these breezes she had to admit she wasn't sure about going swimming. Andrew looked similarly doubtful as he stared at the water, and of course Mr. Professor Snape looked grouchy as usual and had no intention of swimming in the first place. Though part of her did agree with him, that at this time of year going swimming was a bit of a stretch. But there was no quelling the female professor's enthusiasm.

"The ocean is beautiful, though," she sighed, trying to keep a positive mood before turning to look at them, "So, as you all know we are going to swim _first _because number one," she held up a finger, "It might be too late to swim when we're done at the Airaldi's. And two," she held up a second finger, "We have no idea what kind of information they're going to give to us and so even if it's _not _too late we might not be in the mood to swim when we're finished with them. Yes, dear, I know you're not in the mood to swim regardless," she said when her husband offered her a glare, "But we're doing it anyway. Now, let's go!"

Mae reached for Andrew's hand, still wanting the security of it even if they were uncomfortable with each other, and they followed the Muggle Studies professor down to the water. It was true, the ocean _was _beautiful, and it wasn't something Mae saw on a regular basis or anything, living in London, so it was nice to just be here. She was just reaching to take off her shoes and feel the sand between her toes when her older female friend yelped and drew her foot back from where she had just dipped it in the water. Mae couldn't help but grin, "Cold?"

"Oh, just a bit," she waved them off, and Mae knew right away not to expect it to deter her; "We've just got to get into the water somewhere better, that's all. Somewhere that we can get in all at once instead of trying to do so gradually. Aha!" her gaze triumphant, she pointed across the beach to a long, empty dock, "If we go to the end of the dock there we might be able to just jump in, if it's deep enough. All right, everyone gather your belongings! We're moving on!"

Mae had to hide another giggle at Mrs. Professor Snape's husband's reaction, as he scowled and levitated the beach bag he had just set down to follow her over to the dock in concern.

The structure was old and rickety and Mae figured it probably hadn't been in use in a long while as they made their way down it and it creaked and wobbled with every step. She stopped and looked back at the Muggle village laid out behind them, over back of the ridge that separated it from the beach. There were cars in the drives, but she saw no people out and about, no signs of life. The doors and windows seemed to be shuttered. Was it just because of this cloudy day, or...?

"All right, this looks good," the Muggle Studies professor declared, already at the end of the dock and summoning them over.

With Andrew's hand still in hers and Alexander following their group, they headed over to meet her, Professor Snape looking glad to be able to put the bag down again, but not looking thrilled as he stared at the water.

Mae looked out at the vast stretch of ocean in front of them and was struck again by its beauty. Though the sky was grey here, further out to sea it was clear and she could see the sun glittering off the distant water. Waves rolled in from that pristine, light-filled place, into their dimmer zone where they lapped against the beams supporting the dock under their feet. Here, the water was a deep grey and the bottom could not be seen, suggesting enough depth for jumping in.

Mae went back to taking her shoes and socks off, testing how the air felt on her bare skin before even thinking to strip down to her bathing suit. It was mild enough, but a little chillier than she would like. That didn't stop Professor Snape, though, who was already removing her robes while her husband looked on. Mae felt her eyebrow go up when she noticed Andrew looking too. Yes, the female professor was rather slender and in good shape for her age, but it was a bit weird to have Andrew staring at her. Mae felt a little jealousy bubble up, though nothing malicious, and took her own robes off, hoping to get his gaze to shift.

She was glad when it did. He even walked up to her when she shivered, putting a warm hand on her waist and asking if she was too cold. Mae shook her head, "No, I'm all right. Just need to get used to it, that's all."

"Are you going to swim, Andrew? My silly husband won't but I hope you will. Otherwise it's just you blokes ogling us girls all day." Of course, Professor Snape meant that teasingly, but it was a bit awkward in light of what Andrew had been just doing and she had been apparently oblivious to.

"I suppose," he agreed. Mae knew he was a bit self-conscious about his slender frame but not to the point where he wouldn't reveal it. She moved to try and help them along some more by unbuttoning his robes for him as Mrs. Professor Snape took a deep breath and jumped right off the dock.

"Is it cold?" Mae had to ask with a laugh, when her professor's head emerged and she gave a little squeak, brushing her wet hair back off her face and shaking her head.

"A little, but not that bad once you get in," she assured, as expected not deterred for long, "You two want to come in now?"

"Uh… I don't know…" she laughed, biting her lip and thinking that it looked freezing in the dark waters.

"Please?" the older woman practically pouted.

"All right, all right…" she took a hesitant few steps toward the edge of the dock, looking down at the grey depths and shivering a little at the thought that she was going to do this. But Mrs. Professor Snape wouldn't let them hear the end of it if _she _was the only one who ended up going swimming. So Mae took a deep breath and leaped off the dock.

She closed her eyes as her body smacked the surface of the icy water and she felt herself being pulled into the depths. The feeling of jumping into water was always like this, as it grabbed you and you felt sucked down with the momentum. In the darkness, her feet strained to see if she could find the bottom, but they did not touch before that momentum reversed, jetting her towards the surface. Mae gasped, inhaling the sweet, refreshing air when she broke from the water's hold. It was indeed freezing, so treading water to keep in motion was necessary. Still, with the calmer-than-normal ocean and the sight of the sunnier spot out to sea, she felt peaceful and glad that she'd made the jump.

"See? It's not so bad," her swimming companion grinned from next to her, "And it's certainly deep enough to dive in next time. The waves are so calm today."

"Mm," she agreed, moving to float on her back and close her eyes. It would be nice if the sun made its way over here so she could feel it warming her face, but she was going to take what she could get. As her friend and professor had said, at least the waves were calm. "Are you coming, Andrew?" she asked without opening her eyes, hoping he'd consent to join them.

Her answer was a nearby splash, her body moving a little as the waters shifted with their new visitor. Mae's heart lightened a little as she opened her eyes and righted herself to see that her boyfriend had joined them in the waters. It seemed they were going to have fun today despite the uneasiness in their relationship, and that was the most she could hope for right now. "What do you think?" she grinned, swimming over to where he was treading water in front of them.

"I _think_…" he began, then sneezed and turned to Mrs. Professor Snape, "Would you be terribly offended, Ma'am, if I said that asking us to go swimming at this time of year, even in Wales, is completely mad?"

"Of course I'm not offended!" she beamed, cheerful as ever, and Mae had to giggle.

Andrew laughed too, "I didn't think so."

"All right," a much deeper, agitated voice said from above them, "Now that you three have had your frivolity, might we continue on to the Airaldi's?" Mae looked up and had to hide another laugh at the disgusted look the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had on his face as he observed their 'frivolity'.

"Oh, I almost forgot about you," his wife said, turning to look up at him.

"Lovely," he sneered.

"Well, it's your fault for being such a party pooper," she chuckled, "And would you relax and just enjoy the scenery or something? We've only been out here for five minutes! You don't know this yet but I put our lunches in the beach bag so that we can have a picnic here, too."

"And it becomes a pleasure trip," he heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes.

"Of course," she agreed, "There's nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure. After all, _we're _still colleagues, right?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

Mae couldn't keep her giggle in this time as he folded his arms and scowled, looking away, "If you're going to swim, swim then."

"Don't mind if I do," she grinned, and for the next little while they all played around in the water, swimming about, enjoying the scenery, and having conversations that the male professor stubbornly refused to participate in. Or at least, he didn't converse with more than grunts and one-word answers in his annoyance. But it didn't really perturb any of them. Alexander joined in a bit, flying above their heads for a time, and then flying above Professor Snape's scowling head before going to curiously investigate the seagulls on the shore. Mae even managed to start up a little, flirty water fight with Andrew before they were all hungry and went to join the grouchy fourth member of their group for lunch.

"You know?" the Muggle Studies professor said while they ate their chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, and crisps, "I don't think I've seen one person come out of their home in that village this entire time we've been here."

Apparently now that they were out of the water her husband decided it was all right to grace them with a full sentence, as he nodded, "The houses appear quiet as well, though the Muggle vehicles indicate they are clearly occupied."

"Mm. I wonder why," she mused, grabbing her second sandwich while the rest of them were only about halfway done with their first. Mrs. Professor Snape was famous for having an insatiable appetite.

"Perhaps the residents are not a cheerful lot," he grimaced, "The question, of course, is whether that is a _cause _or an _effect_."

"Or both," she murmured, nodding her understanding.

Mae caught onto the meaning as well, her heart fluttering in nerves, "The Dementors, then?"

"If any remain," the Defense professor nodded, turning a frown to her, "I still don't know that I agree to submit you to this challenge just yet. Dinah believes bearing witness to them might encourage your Patronuses, and the theory is worth testing, but rest assured that you are not expected to repel even one of them. We will do that work from the beginning."

"Of course. If you can supplement our Patronuses at all, that's wonderful, but we aren't expecting or relying on that. We just want you to see the spell being used for its intended purpose, and try it if you're comfortable," his wife assured them.

Mae nodded, but it did little for her nerves. Just being in the presence of the Dementors had her worried. It wasn't something she or Andrew had any experience with. There had been some hanging about Hogwarts during her first year, but she had never really gotten close. And there had been Aurors posted to take care of them. Here it was just the two professors, though she did trust them with her life. They were good people, something Lisette had never really understood…

They finished the rest of their meal in thoughtful silence, but then it was pierced by the Muggle Studies professor, once again as cheerful as ever, as she stood up ,"Well, now that that's over, let's get back in the water!"

Her husband growled, "Do you even intend to find the Airaldis this trip or was this all just a ruse so you could go swimming? I knew that was a side goal of yours but I wasn't aware it was your primary purpose."

"Oh, quit being a killjoy. Just look at the lovely ocean!" she ordered, standing behind him and stretching an arm over his shoulder to point out at the waves rolling in towards the gloomy beach.

"Hmph. Lovely perhaps, but I wasn't aware you wanted to spend the rest of your life here," he droned.

"All right, Mr. Snarky," she rolled her eyes before turning back to Mae and Andrew, "You two wouldn't mind swimming a little more, would you?"

Mae was rather more amused by watching the older couple's antics than desirous of going for another swim, but she shrugged, "I suppose I could for a little."

"There, see?" she beamed, turning back to where she still stood behind her husband, who was glaring at the water below him, his feet dangerously close to the edge. Mrs. Professor Snape seemed to notice this at the exact same time Mae did and a mischievous little glint formed in her eyes, "Or _maybe_… it's better if you see firsthand!" And with that, she playfully pushed him off the edge of the dock, his body disappearing into the water and his flailing bat-like robes trailing behind him.

Mae could not think for a moment. All she knew was that her eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head in shock and that Andrew drew in a gasp from next to her. In a moment, the Defense professor's head emerged from the depths, his dark eyes flashing in fury as he shook back his damp, greasy hair, "DINAH!"

If any other person had pushed Professor Snape into the water they'd be running for their lives right about now, Mae was sure, but his wife was only giggling like mad. She made a graceful dive off the dock, disappearing into the water for a brief moment before popping up next to him, "Well, I didn't really expect you'd hit the water. I _thought _the great Severus Snape would catch himself and fly off in time but I guess I really surprised you, huh?"

He just snarled, brushing away more strands of damp black hair that clung to his face. His robes also clung to him oddly when sopping wet, though they certainly weren't designed for swimming. It was almost amusing to see him like this, but Mae didn't dare laugh if she valued her life.

His wife giggled; "Now, see how much fun swimming is? You look like you're having a _great _time."

Swimming over, he reached to grasp the straps of her bathing suit top and pull her to him, glaring, "_You _are about to-"

"What?" her eyes lowered, her smile changing a little, and Mae was quite surprised to see his look change as well, a small smile actually tugging at his lips. What had started as an amusing argument had somehow turned into an intimate moment, as they shared an intense, flirtatious gaze, both clearly enjoying where all this had led.

Mae sighed. They were such a sweet couple, and she longed for simpler days like that. No conflict, no uneasiness, just pure, comfortable love…

"Mae…" Andrew hesitated, and she felt his fingers brush against hers, her heart fluttering like it used to, when their days were also simple.

She turned to him, hoping against hope that maybe things were going to get better. They would have to get better eventually, after all, because she had no intention of ever leaving this young man she loved. She opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say, but lost her train of thought when Alexander flew in and landed on top of Andrew's head.

She felt a giggle bubble up at the look on Andrew's face. He and her pet had always got along well, but this was a first. "Mae," he began, sniffling from his ever-present allergies as his eyes drifted up in the direction of Alexander, "Your owl is on my head."

"He loves you," she smiled, and then offered shyly, "Just like me."

Andrew smiled. No uneasiness, just a normal smile, and he took both of her hands into his. Now Mae's hopes soared. Maybe things were going to be all right again after all. "Mae, I-"

What had cut Andrew off was not so much a word or an occurrence than a feeling, and Mae felt it too.

It was cold.

A cold so deep that it interrupted everything by mere feature of its existence. And the sun, which had once occupied a distant place out to sea, was gone, leaving the entire ocean black under a sheet of dark clouds. A soft, crackling noise, barely tangible, hovered near Mae's ear, and she felt the ends of her still-wet hair start to crystallize into little bits of ice. "Professors-!" she turned to look back into the water below the dock, where the Snapes were still swimming close, their arms in contact with each other. But all semblance of flirtation was gone. They looked solemn, watching as the very salt water of the ocean itself began to freeze over near the legs of the dock.

Mae pressed herself close to Andrew in an attempt to find warmth, but he was as cold as she was. Meanwhile, Mr. Professor Snape frowned, "Get off the dock. Now."

His warning was none too soon, as the ice had been creeping up the legs and now had emerged onto the already unstable wood, making it creak again even though neither Mae nor Andrew were moving.

"It _is _Dementors," the female professor explained, "Move in. We'll be safer on the beach. I can't tell what they're trying to do yet."

"Feed off that Muggle village, no doubt," her husband grimaced, as they all hurried back towards shore, Mae grabbing the beach bag as she and Andrew followed Alexander, who was flying ahead of them. Animals were not stupid, they knew when there was danger about. Behind them, the dock continued to creak, the ice causing fresh wounds to appear in the wooden boards. Perhaps the reason it was creaky in the first place was from the freezing and thawing caused by the Dementors.

Mae held her breath as they ran the last stretch of the dock, finally exhaling when her toes made contact with the sand. Andrew came behind her, taking hold of her shoulders as they looked around for the source of the ice and gloom. "I don't see any Dementors."

"Above, in the sky," Mrs. Professor Snape pointed, and looking up Mae felt another shiver run through her body as she saw gaunt, black-cloaked figures with skeletal limbs and cavernous, empty faces flying in from the ocean, just below the blanket of dark clouds, sometimes almost blending in with them. She kept waiting for one to spy them and fly down, try to take their souls…

"We are not of interest to them at the moment," the Defense professor explained in his usual serious tone, reading her thoughts as they all hurried to redress themselves and he used not one but three hot air charms to dry his robes, "As expected, they are going for the village. I count only four, though that doesn't mean there aren't others lurking where we cannot see."

"That's terrible," his wife's jaw set as she withdrew her wand, "Feeding off those Muggles when they have no way of defending themselves or even knowing that they're threatened. And it's been going on for how many years now? Just to protect these Airaldi's. Disgusting. _Expecto-_"

"Don't," her husband caught her arm, stopping her from using the spell.

"But the Muggles," she protested, looking frustrated.

"If we allow them to finish their business, we can perhaps follow them to their home roost. One more feeding will make no difference. Better to attack the problem at its source. Convince the Airaldi's to abandon the castle, then perhaps the remaining Dementors will disperse."

"Not if they have a whole depressed village of unsuspecting Muggles to feed off of," she sighed, but lowered her wand.

"But that's not really uncommon," Mae sighed, thinking back on something she'd learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts in her fifth year, when they'd first started talking about Dementors; "It's a fact that a lot of gloomy Muggle villages the world over are due to the nearby presence of Dementors. They tend to gather, and then once they've got a good food source…" she shrugged, "Finding and eliminating them in all the places that occurs would be nearly impossible."

Mae felt a little proud of herself when Mr. Professor Snape gave an approving nod at her knowledge. His wife, on the other hand, only shook her head, "That doesn't make it right."

"No, but still, what can be done?"

She just heaved a sigh and didn't answer that, looking over at the village, "They appear to be leaving. Let's just go and follow them," she took hold of the beach bag and began to lead them silently after the Dementors, but far enough back so that the dark creatures didn't notice their presence just yet. Mae knew her older friend was a little upset about this, and it didn't make her happy either, but there was where they differed, her logical Ravenclaw mind and Mrs. Professor Snape's empathetic Hufflepuff one. Mae accepted that nothing could be done and moved on, where the other woman would probably be upset about this for a good while and dream of worlds in which it didn't happen.

They followed the Dementors along a bluff that rose up from the beach, and soon the calm waters were replaced by rough, tumbling seas, waves crashing onto jagged rocks below. What stretched ahead of them appeared to be nothing but a long field of grass and brush, but after about five minutes of walking along this, the Dementors changed their behavior. First they slowed, and then they turned, approaching their little party in a rush. Four? No…

"Six now," the Defense professor snarled, reaching to pull his wand from his pocket, "And they've noticed us. We must have reached the spot where the castle lies. This looks like the area Umbridge described."

Mae scrambled to get a hold of her wand as the demonic entities approached them, but the closer they got the less she felt she would be able to produce anything at all. It felt at first terrifying, and then hopeless…

And then next to her, a chorus of '_Expecto Patronum'_s, followed by two identical snake Patronuses weaving amongst their enemies, causing them to draw back.

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

She turned to the new voice that had spoken, and saw that Andrew had managed to produce a shapeless stream of light from his wand. He looked at her, "Mae, you try."

But despite the Patronuses that abounded and her boyfriend's encouragement, Mae only felt more hopeless. She tried to swallow back the lump in her throat but couldn't even do that right. Andrew was encouraging her, but their happy moment on the dock had been interrupted by these horrid creatures. Every time they tried to make progress, something tried to stop them. Maybe they'd never be happy again. Maybe… maybe there was no point to any of this. Maybe it was all hopeless. Why had she even gotten out of bed this morning? How could she conjure a happy thought like this? Everything was so bland, so dark, so empty…

"Mae?" a gentle voice encouraged, as Mrs. Professor Snape put a free hand on her shoulder, "Are you all right?"

"There are six. Not even the twenty we expected. And I still can't do anything. I can't even raise my wand. I'm pathetic. Why should I even try?" she found herself whimpering.

"Mae!" Andrew gasped, grabbing her shoulders as the two snakes continued to try and repel the Dementors, "How can you say that? You're not pathetic, just try!"

"I… I can't… Andrew, where's your Patronus?" she noticed that his light was absent. Was it because of her? Was it because he had to attend to her whining that he couldn't focus on protecting his precious self from those creatures? Was she so worthless as to do that to him?

"I want you to try yours," was all he responded with.

Looking into his eyes, wanting to protect him, even though with the two snakes they would both probably, realistically, be fine, Mae somehow gained the strength to raise her wand. "_Expec – Expecto…_"

"Yes. Go on," he encouraged, and all Mae could see was the man she loved surrounded by Dementors and doing nothing to defend himself. It was like he was relying on her.

"_Expecto Patronum _!" she shouted, stretching her hand out and closing her eyes, surprised when she felt the tiniest bit of warmth flowing through her arm into her hand and wand. She opened her eyes to see a tiny light, no brighter than a single Christmas bulb, illuminating the tip.

"You did it!" he exclaimed, "_Expecto Patronum_!" And his much stronger jet of light was out again. It wasn't much, his and hers together, but in combination with the two strong snakes, the six dark beings retreated off into the distance and out of sight.

"Mae!" Mrs. Professor Snape was at her side, flinging her arms around her shoulders, "You did it! You managed a Patronus light!"

"Mm. Excellent progress," even her husband was smiling as he tucked his own wand away, and the environment around them calmed once more. It was still quite gloomy, but the feeling of hopelessness was gone.

Yes, Mae felt a bit more confident, but that didn't stop her cheeks from heating up a little as she shook her head at their praise, "It wasn't much, though. It was barely anything. Nowhere near enough to pass my Defense N.E.W.T…."

"But you have time to get there," Andrew insisted, pulling her into an embrace. There was the familiar sound of him covering a sneeze, and then he moved to whisper into her ear, "I am so proud of you. That was perfect."

"Andrew…" she closed her eyes, feeling her body overflow with warmth as she let herself melt into his arms. It seemed… like they were okay now. And only someone who loved her unconditionally could say that that itty bitty light was 'perfect', "I love you," she whispered so that only he could hear.

"You too," he murmured back.

"But why…" she drew back, intent on scolding him a little, "Why did you stop your own Patronus just to help me with mine? You let your guard down completely; I was so worried!"

He laughed, "We were perfectly safe, though. In case you hadn't noticed, their two snakes are some of the most powerful Patronuses in the world."

"Even so," she insisted.

"Well, I don't know that I'd go that far," it was the Muggle Studies professor's turn to blush, "But the main thing is you're both making progress. Though I admit now I wonder if this whole thing was the best idea…" she frowned, "You were affected by them a little more than I had intended, Mae… I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right. I'm fine now," Mae assured her friend. Yes, she _had _been quite overwhelmed, but she didn't want the other woman to feel bad. She also didn't want to go into too much detail and explain how she had been so worried about her relationship with Andrew and how she felt hopeful that they were going to recover now. She didn't want to jinx the fact that things seemed to be getting better.

"Well, as long as you've recovered…" she gave a slow nod, "Still, I'm going to think twice before I make impulsive decisions like this in the future."

"_Now_ you decide this," her husband rolled his eyes, but managed a small smile at her sheepish look. "All right. We are here now, and that's the main thing. There are only a few more steps to be taken…" he trailed, giving his wife a significant look. She nodded in response, and the two powerful magic-users began casting counter-spells to various forms of defensive magic.

Intent on learning something from this, but still keeping Andrew's hand tight in her own, Mae watched the spell-casting. In a moment, she began to make out the outline of something large in front of them, and then it began to darken. Finally, the spells had all been cast, and in the space in front of them where nothing had been before, there now stood a tall, ancient castle made of black stone, dark and foreboding in the sunless sky, casting a long shadow over the cliffs and the sea, and towering above their small forms.

The home of the Airaldis.


	17. Broken Dreams

**A/N: Hi again! Thanks to MRSSPICY for her review of the last chapter. Note that this chapter has a POV switch from Severus at first to Mae in the second two scenes. Also, there is a mature love scene (not between Dinah and Severus) in this chapter.**

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><p>CHAPTER SEVENTEEN<p>

Broken Dreams

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><p>Severus led their small group up the steps of the old castle to the huge doors and the wrought-iron knocker that stood between them and the family of concern. It was obvious from the building's appearance that it had been the ruins of an ancient wizard dwelling. The animals carved into the door included many that no Muggle had ever seen, in such intricate detail that neither could they be a coincidence of their imaginings. Similarly, the condition of the ruins was too good to be a Muggle dwelling, which would have been much more crumpled by now given that the style clearly dated back to the fourteenth century.<p>

The main point, however, was that it was now the residence of the Airaldi family. A family which had overstayed their welcome long past the second wizarding war, and a family which – hopefully – could provide them with information about who was sending them threatening letters.

He raised his wand, setting the knocker in motion to rap against the cold surface of the door.

An interminable time later, and still no one had answered.

"Perhaps they're disbelieving," Dinah offered, "After all, it's been seven years since the war ended. They've been hidden that long; they can't expect to have any visitors."

He frowned, knocking again, this time using a spell to amplify the noise. This time, there was a response. The door opened a mere sliver of a crack, revealing shadowy figures muttering to each other in Italian and English. Severus only made out three words, spoken by the female voice to the male one; "Is it him?"

After this exchange, the door opened further and they were faced with an aging, grey-haired couple, gazing at them with suspicious dark eyes, their shock at being 'found' only evident in their stances. "Severus Snape," the woman said, looking him up and down.

Pushing aside the intrusive thought that he was glad he was no longer sopping wet after his wife's little idea of a 'joke' earlier, he glared right back at them, "You know of me." He knew that much. He didn't, however, know how limited their knowledge was of events since the past war. Though it was possible their son, at least, knew him as a 'traitor' to the Dark Lord's cause.

"How did you find us?" the man demanded, "And what do you want?"

"I presume you are Ennio and Amanda Airaldi?" he asked, rather than gracing either of their questions with an answer.

"We are no one until you tell us what you are doing here," the old man snarled, "No one knows of our location. No one save Dolores Umbridge, though now seven years later I fear she would disclose our whereabouts to anyone for the right price. But what would an ex-Death Eater and current professor at Hogwarts want to do with us?"

"Ah, so do have some connection to the outside world, do you?" he nodded, "You must receive the _Daily Prophet_ or some other form of correspondence, though I don't see how any owl could penetrate those defenses of yours."

"We know who you are and we know who she is," the woman declared, ignoring Severus's comments and pointing at Dinah.

"_Buongiorno_!" Severus's wife greeted with a friendly smile. Wonderful. She was going to go through with her broken attempts at Italian. "_Noi… vorrei… domande… alcuni…"_

The woman who had to be Amanda Airaldi's eyes narrowed, then she turned to Severus, "Forgive me, but is your wife mad?"

"I often wonder…" he admitted.

"Oh, fine," Dinah huffed, folding her arms, her cheerfulness gone, "I won't practice my Italian then. Go on, ask them the questions. Ask them who keeps sending us nasty letters."

"Patience, my dear," he rolled his eyes, "First we must get invited past the foyer."

"I see no reason to let you in any further until you tell us what this is all about," the male Airaldi, surely Ennio, declared, "How did you get Umbridge to disclose this location to you? To what 'letters' are you referring? And who are these young ones? They are clearly not yours. Yours are younger, are they not?"

"These are students of ours; seventh years at Hogwarts," Dinah explained, pointing to each of their young friends in turn, "Mae Yates and Andrew Speasy. They came to gain practice on their Patronus charms by facing the six dementors that you have guarding this place."

"Seven," Amanda corrected, "There are seven left, though they do not all gather at once anymore. After the fall of the Dark Lord, they've increasingly gotten minds of their own. Thirteen have abandoned us completely and the ones that remain only do so because of the Muggle village; they cannot get to us, Umbridge saw to it that we were protected from them."

"For a price," Dinah murmured, her eyes narrowing. It seemed that ever since their visit to Azkaban the mere mention of Umbridge infuriated her, "Either way, don't you think it's time to leave this place? Discourage those dementors from preying on those helpless Muggles? You do not need to hide anymore."

"Hiding suits us just fine, thank you," Ennio declared, and Severus forced himself not to snarl at the condescending way in which the old man was looking at his wife. It was not as offensive as the way some pureblood elitists looked at her, but there was a touch of it there nonetheless, "You already know our story, it seems," he continued, "And so I won't bother you with details. But we are old, and we have comfortably settled here. There is no reason to leave this haven of peace and tranquility. Besides, one never knows when a new war might start up."

"Did your son tell you that?" Dinah snapped, and Severus was impressed by her fortitude, even if she _was _still acting as though this were a Muggle crime drama.

In sharp contrast, however, was the older couple's reaction. Their resistance seemed to crumple and they exchanged surprised, concerned glances before turning imploring looks back to their party of four. "You know something about our son?" Amanda asked.

"You don't?" Dinah blinked, and in an instant the two women were not rivals, but seemed to bond as mothers. Severus was familiar enough with motherly behavior by now to see it in both of their eyes.

Fatherly, too, as Ennio shook his head solemnly, "Our Andre did not share our interest in hiding from the world. Once the war was over, we could not convince him to stay here with us. He left almost immediately. We enjoyed occasional correspondence from him and infrequent visits, but at some point that stopped. We have heard nothing from him in…" he exchanged a glance with his wife and she nodded.

"Over two years now," Amanda finished her husband's sentence.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Dinah murmured, "Well, we can tell you what _we _know, but… didn't you go out looking for him? If you just hide here then-"

"Do not judge us!" the old woman cut in, "We have other contacts. They do not know our whereabouts but they are able to send owls to us, and they can't locate him either. Our leaving here would help nothing. If we did, and for some reason he needed to find us in emergency, and we were not where he expected us to be…"

"Ah…" Dinah blushed, "No, I see your dilemma. But owls to him…?"

"He does not respond to our owls," the old man sighed, waving a hand to beckon them forward, "Come. We will talk this over in the parlor."

Their invitation finally formalized, they followed the older couple through the halls of the castle. It was a dark, dingy sort of place, not unlike Severus's own dungeons, though he preferred his dungeons with more light. The lighting here was more reminiscent of that at Malfoy Manor, though again the feel was more dismal. But what did he expect from a place guarded by twenty, or even seven, dementors?

The older couple made their introductions as Ennio and Amanda, and Severus and Dinah wasted no time in explaining their situation to them. They approached the subject cautiously at first, but it was quite clear that these two were not threatening and not the source of the letters, and so soon all information was divulged and Dinah presented them with the letters they had received.

"This… this is Andre's writing…" Amanda murmured, holding the longer letter gingerly in her withered palms, "There is no doubt that he composed this, but… but it's wrong. It isn't his words. He did not even go to Hogwarts. We homeschooled him."

"Then he wrote this for someone else," Severus declared. The longer he had spoken with the couple, the more he had become convinced of this possibility, so it wasn't really of any surprise to him, "Who are his friends? Acquaintances? Do you know of anyone who could have dictated this letter to him?"

"I'm afraid we know nothing," Ennio admitted, "Andre ran in circles that we didn't, and I can only assume that he still does. But he was always an impressionable boy, if not by people then by ideas. Whoever told him to do this must have a strong hold on him. They must be the one keeping him away from us."

Severus growled, "That is all well and good, but that puts us directly back at where we started. Have you _nothing _useful?"

"We want to find our son as much as you do," Amanda insisted, "He should not be involving himself in something of this nature, something that could lead to another war, the very thing we spent half our life savings to avoid…"

"_We _did, he didn't…" Ennio sighed.

"Either way, there won't be another war," Dinah cut in, "We will see that this person is stopped, one way or another. But if we could identify them, if we could find Andre… We're willing to help you locate him, you know. But you need to help us in any way you can. There _must _be _some_thing that you know," she prodded.

It was Amanda's turn to sigh, "The only thing I can think of is looking through all of his possessions. The ones that remain here, anyway, for clues. Though that might take some time. You four need to return to Hogwarts tonight?"

"We had hoped to…" Dinah frowned, "But if absolutely necessary, we can stay through to tomorrow. We brought overnight things, in case that happened. So did the students. And we have Minerva's permission, but we'd need to send her an owl. Lucy and Sirius, too, to let them know they need to keep the children overnight."

"We can take care of that," Ennio said, "Our owls are immune to the enchantments surrounding the castle. Another gift from Dolores Umbridge."

"Yes, well," Dinah pursed her lips, driving the conversation away from her new arch-nemesis, "Then, perhaps we should remain here for the night. Severus?"

He sighed, "If it gives us any hope of putting an end to this wild goose chase then I am happy to stay."

"Good, you are all welcome," Amanda said, "I was suspicious at first, but if you can in any way help us to find our son, then we are happy to have you stay as long as necessary and visit as often as you'd like. All four of you. Your family, Andrew, they are a pureblood lineage like ours, aren't they? Avoiding the Death Eater call."

"Ah…" Andrew frowned, and Severus did not miss the uneasy look his girlfriend gave him at the twist the conversation had now taken. The subject that had been tormenting the young couple this year had, of course, come up during this visit. Yet another thing Dinah had failed to take into consideration when she had decided on a whim to bring the pair with them. "In… in a way, yes…" the boy offered cautiously.

"A wise choice. But how did they survive the war, staying out in the open like that? If the Dark Lord knew that they shared his ideals but avoided fighting with him…"

"We managed somehow. They," he rushed to correct himself, his already red face turning redder in humiliation, "_They _managed somehow. I… I am not… They and I aren't quite the… same…"

"It's all right, Andrew," Mae insisted softly, placing a hand on his. It seemed their relationship had indeed re-solidified some after the dementor encounter. "We know."

"Mm," Amanda said sadly, "My husband and I are quite familiar with sons not following in their parents' footsteps. Though Andre was the opposite of you. He would have happily joined the Dark Lord's cause if we had allowed him to. For what it's worth, Dinah," she addressed Severus's wife by first name as she had been permitted, "although we are somewhat uneasy about it, we realize that the world is changing. We don't condone any of the words used in this letter, and neither should our son."

"I appreciate it," Dinah nodded, "Thank you."

"Our correspondence with the outside world is limited only to those few acquaintances, our estranged son, and the _Daily Prophet_," Ennio explained, "Therefore, we only know about you what we've read in the paper and have not touched that recent book that was published."

"Please," Dinah declared, "If you want to know about us, ask. Don't read that book."

"Consider your request granted," the old man smiled, "Now, perhaps we should provide you with a meal. We dispensed with any hired help upon moving here; I hope that is not disagreeable to you."

"Hardly," Severus smirked, "My wife dislikes the use of house elves at any rate. Do you require our assistance in going through your son's items after supper?"

"No," Amanda declared with a firm shake of her head, "Forgive me for saying so, but those items are our business and our business alone. I assure you, we will not withhold any information that may be of use to you. But there are personal effects and items we may come across that we do not wish outsiders to see."

"Hm," Severus frowned. It was not in his nature to blindly believe claims made by pureblood elitists, but if he wanted to keep this couple on their side he must give them the benefit of the doubt. Dinah, of course, in her idealistic mind, believed them already; "Very well then."

That decided, they were led to dinner. The old woman, in her Italian fashion, prepared them an excellent lasagna paired with red wines of a fine vintage. Dessert was gelato, and of course his insatiable wife could not retreat from the table until she had devoured four full bowls of it.

After their meal, they were shuffled off to their rooms, and not so much locked into that wing of the castle than greatly discouraged from leaving it. Friendly the Airaldis may be, but they certainly didn't like their life disrupted or their personal areas investigated. Again suspicious in Severus's mind, but for this visit at least he had to be accommodating.

The young couple, Mae and Andrew, apparently had things to discuss and so retreated down the hall where they had been told they had the choice of two bedrooms. Thankfully, they were of age and not at Hogwarts, as he had no intentions of being a chaperone and guaranteeing that they _stayed _in two bedrooms. Besides, they clearly did have to talk over some things with each other after the day's events.

So that left him and Dinah, forced into a dim, low-ceilinged master bedroom that smelled heavily of roses.

"Don't make that face," Dinah chuckled, reaching to put her soft hand on his cheek when he wrinkled his nose at the smell, "It's the symbol on their coat-of-arms, remember? Besides, at least we're a step closer now than we have been."

"You consider this a step closer?" he snorted, "Do you honestly believe that those two will produce something useful from their rummagings tonight?"

She shrugged, "We have to trust that they will, Sev, you know that. All in all, they're a much more agreeable pair than I would have expected. Though when I tried to tell them good-night in Italian they had the nerve to tell me I needed to work on my accent!"

He gave a small laugh at that. It had amused him a moment ago when it happened and it amused him still now to think back on it. Especially when Dinah wore that disgruntled expression because of it. "If it were up to me, I would discourage you from working on it any more at all."

"Yes, I know you would," she grumbled, her actions not matching her apparent mood as her fingers wandered their way up the front of his frock coat, briefly touching each button before stopping at his collar, "Now, whatever shall we do all night?"

"Find a room where we can see each other and which does not smell?" he suggested.

"Oh, enough!" she giggled, and he could not prevent his own laughter from mingling with hers. In the dim light, he could see a smile form on her lovely face, "I'm so glad Mae and Andrew seem to be on the road to recovery."

"Mm," he agreed, allowing himself to admit that he felt the same, "Then the only problem of ours that remains is putting an end to this letter situation. Ah," he smiled as an idea came to him, "You do realize that the Blacks taking the children for the weekend and the fact that we are spending time away from home in a novel location means that we have fulfilled our 'snuggly and gross' requirement and thus do not need to take another holiday to visit the Isle of Skye?"

"Oh, I hate to break it to you my love, but that is _not _the way it works," she, expectedly, countered, shaking her head in amusement at his suggestion.

But he would not back down so easily either, "How so? You yourself said that this was a pleasure trip. We both even went for a swim."

A laugh bubbled out of her, "Oh no, you aren't twisting that one back around against me. Nice try. We still get our own holiday away."

"We shall see about that," he returned, smiling and letting his hands wander to encircle her slim waist, letting his lips hover just over hers, preferring to inhale her sweet scent rather than the pungent smell of rose petals that permeated the room. At that thought, he had to admit that the Isle of Skye would at least probably smell better than this. Though he still preferred to have her at home rather than to travel to random places for what they could just as easily do in their own bed.

"We shall, shan't we?" she murmured, tilting her head up just the bare inch that was needed for their lips to meet. Yes, she would be the ultimate winner of this little debate, but he had known that from the beginning. At some point, they would have their own 'snuggly and gross' holiday on the Isle of Skye to match their friends'. It was the light teasing of each other about it, anyway, that he enjoyed the most, not whoever ultimately triumphed. They both knew that.

But whether they would have another holiday or not, he did intend to enjoy what good parts they could get out of this one to the fullest.

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><p>The bedroom smelled of roses, Mae noticed, as she and Andrew inspected it from top to bottom. This was the first one they had come to, and they had been instructed to select one for each of them. She thought this one smelled pretty, and so kind of wanted it. But, on the other hand…<p>

Andrew did his best to inhale and catch a whiff of the scent, finally managing it with a grimace, "Is that rose petals? I suppose if it bothers you I can take this room. After all, it's not like I can smell it without making a concentrated effort anyway."

"No, it's fine," she smiled, "I guess it's stinky to men, but I think it's pretty. Either way, the other room could smell just the same. But it's still a few hours… before bedtime…" After the incident with the Dementors she had high hopes for tonight. Being in Hogwarts, it was hard to wrangle nights together, but over the previous summer they had finally taken their relationship to the next level of intimacy and she so longed for it. They had never really had a whole _night _together. During summer, it had to be in evenings and weird places, or their parents would find out. At Hogwarts it was even harder, because they had roommates who expected them to always be there the next morning, and for them to at least be in the common room once curfew hit. But they had managed a few times at school so far. Then their relationship got more uneasy, and…

"Mae," Andrew said, his arms wrapping around her shoulders from behind. She sighed, leaning back into him and inhaling his scent, listening to his soft words, "I'm sorry. For everything this year. For how it's been, for making you uncomfortable…"

"No," she shook her head, wrapping her arms over his, "No, _I'm _sorry. I didn't explain well enough why I was uneasy. I made you think there was something wrong with you. There's not. And I don't hate your parents either, I just… I'm nervous. But it has nothing to do with you," she felt tears sting her eyes.

"I know," he whispered, "I was out of line at the library, and I'm sorry. I know my parents aren't perfect, but…"

"It doesn't affect who you are," she turned in his arms, reaching up to touch his cheek, "I never thought it did. I love you, Andrew. I always have and I always will, no matter what kind of family you come from."

"And I love _you,_ no matter what they say about people of your birth. I only wanted to make it better for you. That's why I wanted you to come this Christmas… I just thought that-"

"I understand. You don't have to say anything else," she whispered, lifting her face to kiss him. It was a kiss that only intensified, as her body woke up and demanded that she be ever closer to the one she loved, the one she had been apart from for far too long.

His feelings were, of course, in a similar vein, and it wasn't long before his fingers were working her robes, his hands wandering along her curves. She squirmed, pressing her body against his, her hands working their way to the front of his trousers where a conspicuous bulge lied. They were of age, they were alone, and she trusted that the Snapes would not come to invade their privacy. They could have each other freely here. They were free, they were young, they were in love. Everything was perfect.

It was not long before they were undressed and had moved back onto the rosy-smelling bed. Whatever whiff Andrew got this time made him sneeze, but Mae didn't care. She never cared if he sneezed during sex, never minded any of his allergies in any context. Because he was her Andrew and she accepted him as is, right from the moment she'd met him. And he knew that now. They finally understood each other and could be one again like this. She could gasp in the ecstasy of feeling him inside of her like he was right now, their naked bodies entwined so tightly she wasn't sure where she ended and he began.

It was so good. It was such bliss. And as she exclaimed her release and they collapsed in a sweaty pile on the sheets, his slender body covering her in a gentle, protective manner, her head against his chest and his heartbeat in her ear, their breathing matched, everything was nothing short of heaven. "I love you so much," she murmured, curling into him, pressing her face into his neck, never wanting to let go, "Stay with me tonight. Don't go to the other room. I'm sure the Snapes won't care even if they _do _notice it in the morning."

His lean arms wound their way around her waist, his thumb gently stroking along her side, soothing her into an even deeper state of relaxation. "Yes," he whispered, his voice filled with such happiness and contentment it warmed her heart, "Of course. We'll stay here all night. I can't let you go now."

"Andrew…" she sighed, relaxing further into their positions. She didn't even need to get under the blankets, at least not right now. His warmth was all she needed.

"Mae," he replied, his voice drifting off into the distance, sounding as sleepy as she felt. Their whole ordeal for the past month and a half, the past couple of weeks especially, had left them so exhausted. Now that they finally had each other, it seemed all either of them wanted to do was sleep in each other's arms like this. And that was fine with Mae. It was still early. Maybe in a few hours they'd wake up, have each other yet again, and then get under the covers for a more traditional night's sleep. All she knew was that right now, at this very moment, there was nowhere she would rather be than right here on top of the covers in this rosy-smelling room with Andrew.

Just like this.

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><p>Mae's eyes fluttered open to a peaceful, dark room, that still smelled of roses, but the space next to her on the bed was empty, Andrew nowhere to be seen.<p>

She smiled, remembering what could only have been a few hours ago. The most delightful make-up sex, such an intimate, sweet moment with her boyfriend, everything okay again. She wasn't worried about his absence; it still wasn't quite bedtime, so he'd probably gone to the loo or something.

Deciding to go and find him, she scooted from the bed, letting her feet slip onto the soft, carpeted floor of the bedroom. Pulling on a robe and padding into the hallway, it changed to cold stone, making her wish she had also thought to put on slippers, but when she passed the loo to find it empty and deserted she had to continue on in search of her boyfriend. The second bedroom was just down the hall after the bathroom, but it too was empty, though it also smelled of roses like the other.

There was one final door at the very end of the hall, hanging open and revealing a starry sky beyond. Mae followed it out onto a small balcony, where she finally found Andrew standing by the rail at the point furthest out, staring at the stars in the clear sky. The ocean was clear, too, shimmering beautifully in the moonlight. There were no Dementors to be seen – perhaps they were feeding on the Muggle village again or perhaps the Airaldis had the castle enchanted so the Dementors did not sully their view. Either way, what she saw here was lovely, and Andrew surely felt the same, the way he was staring.

"Andrew…?" she began softly, so as not to startle him.

He turned, smiling that beautiful smile of his, but he also looked thoughtful, "Mae. Sorry for wandering off. It's a beautiful night, though, isn't it?"

"It's lovely," she smiled, "I'm glad you found this place. The stars, the sea… I've never seen anything like it. How romantic."

"Yeah…" he sighed, turning to look back up at the stars, "Thank you for tonight. It helped me to see things much more clearly."

"Me too," she sighed, so happy as she gazed up at the stars. The night was a little chilly, so she kept her robe pulled tight around her, but it was worth it to stay out here with Andrew.

"Mae…?" he began, an odd, considering hesitation in his voice.

"Yes?" she turned to look at where he was still facing out at the ocean.

And then, slowly, he turned, his hopeful gaze indicating that he'd made some sort of key, very important decision in the time that he'd been out here, "Let's get married."

"Huh?" His words surprised her so much, were so unexpected, that for a moment she didn't really register them.

"Married!" Andrew's eyes, on the other hand, were filling up with excitement as it was clear ideas were spinning around like mad in his head, "I want to marry you, Mae."

"I… Andrew!" she tried again to register what he was saying, a little happiness bubbling up inside of her again. Of course she wanted to marry him. She could see them together forever. But it seemed so sudden and he was acting… oddly. She still wasn't sure she'd heard right, and this wasn't exactly the most romantic way to propose, but…

"We can get married this summer," he continued, breaking off with a few sneezes in his excitement, "Right after we graduate. Then our lives will be our own, we can go anywhere we want, do anything…"

"W- wait…" Mae's felt her excitement fizzle a little when he said those words, and instead a few butterflies began to dance in her stomach. This was all happening a little too fast for her liking, "This summer? Right after we graduate? Andrew-"

"Don't you see? _Then _when we go to spend the Christmas holidays with my parents we can announce our engagement and they'll be forced to accept you. We'll _make _them love you, and then you don't have to worry anymore!"

"Wait, _what_?" she took a step back, her heart sinking. So _that _was why he wanted them to spend all that time with his parents out of the clear blue? Why didn't he say so? Why didn't he explain? What was he thinking? "Andrew, we can't _force _your parents to like me. Engagement or no engagement, that's not going to work. If anything, they'll just hate me _more_. I thought… I thought you understood…"

"What?" his face fell. Oh, Merlin, Mae hated to see that. See his excitement change to surprise and… and worry. How could this be happening? "Mae… that's not… I _do _understand. I thought this was what you wanted… me to stand up to them, tell them that I love you and that that's not going to change and that they have to accept you and-"

"Well – well, _yes_, sort of, but not- not so sudden, and not- not with an announcement of marriage. They won't… that's not going to change their minds. It will take _time _to get them to like me, no matter what we do. And I… I don't know that I'm _ready _to get married this summer, Andrew. I still don't even know what I want to do with my life yet or where I want to go and…" How could she explain this without hurting him?

"But… but that's not important. We can figure that out together."

"Of course it's important!" she exclaimed, and then covered her mouth when he looked shocked at her outburst, "I'm… I'm _sorry_. Andrew, it's not that I don't want to, it's just… this isn't the way to go about it. I love you, I want to be with you, but I just… I just can't…"

"Can't," he repeated, his face falling even more. He looked crushed. "So you're saying no?"

"Not forever, just no to this summer!" she reached for his hand, trying to get him to understand, "If we get married now it's not going to convince your parents of anything. We'd just be miserable. Trying to build a life with them angry at us, trying to figure out what we want to do and where we want to go while at the same time paying the bills and dealing with in-laws and… and we'd have to get at least temporary jobs, and we'd struggle and… it would just be horrible. That's not the life that I want for us."

"So…" he didn't look any happier. In fact, he only looked more miserable, "You think that if we got married right away it wouldn't work out… we'd end up hating each other?"

"No!" she exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. How could he possibly jump to that conclusion? What was happening to them? Everything was supposed to be fine! Everything was supposed to be _fine_! "That's not what I mean. We'd still love each other. We'd get through it, I _know _we'd get through it and be okay in the long run, but-"

"Then if that's the case why does it matter if we get married now or later? I want to be with you _now_, Mae. I want- I want us to-" he broke off into a fit of sneezes, as stress could sometimes agitate his condition.

"Andrew, Andrew, don't," she murmured, reaching for his shoulders, so worried for him but still so terrified of the direction this conversation had taken, "Please… it's all right, please try to understand. I want us to be together, too. And we _will _be together, it's just-"

"It's just that you don't want to be with me _now_. You want to wait. What if… what if…" his voice wavered and bit and then he shook his head, "If you really believed we'd be okay you would let us try now. You wouldn't try to put it off."

"That's not true," she whimpered, "I _do _think we'd be okay, but… but why would you _want _to put us through hard, difficult times, if we can wait a bit and then start a life that will be much better for us? Much less stressful? It only makes the most sense, Andrew… and it's not like we won't see each other. We'll still be together, we just won't be _married. _What's wrong with that?"

"_Nothing_, but- but I-" a couple more sneezes before he continued; "I wanted to make you happy tonight. I thought this was the right thing and now you're telling me-"

"I'm sorry. I know you thought this would be perfect, but…" she lowered her gaze, reaching to clasp his hands again, feeling a single tear roll down her cheek as she whispered, "I can't, Andrew. I can't agree to this now. I can't marry you like this. We need to wait."

"How can you be telling me 'no'?" he moaned, removing one of his hands from hers to lift towards his head, sounding completely broken and making her tears come faster. She couldn't even look at him. "How could this have gone so wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she whimpered again, scrubbing at her face, "We can try again later. If you just give us a couple years, Andrew… to figure out where we're going in life, to make sure the life we'll build will be the _right _one…"

"Which means that a life we built now would be the _wrong _one," he whispered, "I understand. It's fine. Forget I said anything."

"Andrew, please, don't be like that!" she finally looked up at him, crushed to see that he looked empty, as though he'd given up. He wasn't even meeting her gaze directly. "Please," she repeated, reaching to turn his face toward hers, "Please try to understand. If this is just about your parents, then-"

"No!" he shouted, startling her, "That has nothing to- that's not what I – that was only a part of- no, you don't understand at all. How can I explain this to you when you won't even try to understand?"

"I'm _trying _to understand, but you don't seem to understand my side either," she sobbed, feeling her heart go from terrified to utterly and completely broken, "Andrew, _please_. Talk to me."

"If… if we wait, what if we go different paths, what if it becomes _harder _for us, what if-"

"It won't! You have to have faith in us!" she tried, digging around for some hope that they could still salvage this situation.

"So do you! You don't have faith in us either!"

"That's not- not-" she couldn't form words anymore for a moment, and then found them, "Then what do you want me to do? What am I supposed to do? No matter what I say I can't win!"

"Now you know how I feel," he whispered, turning away, staring back up at the stars.

"Andrew!" she broke into sobs, covering her face with her hands and wanting to sink into the floor of the balcony and disappear. Everything was supposed to be all right and now it was even worse than it had been before. She had no idea what she could say to salvage the situation. In just ten minutes her life had gone from being on the mend to falling apart again, and she could only pray that it was somehow reparable this time. But she couldn't think any more than that.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his voice distant, sincere but not inviting. Essentially, it was an 'I'm sorry' which left them at the status quo. A completely useless 'I'm sorry'.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, too," she returned it through her tears; "I guess everything that happened today is a wash, huh? Look at this. _Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum_," she held her wand out, trying to will the little Christmas bulb back into existence, but got nothing. "See. I can't even do it anymore. I can't… I can't do it!" With that, she had no more to say, nothing left to do, and ran from the balcony, back into the rose-smelling room that had seemed so sweet before, slamming the door and collapsing onto the bed in a fit of sobs.

And everything that had seemed so happy just moments ago was once again hopeless, just as though it had been engulfed by Dementors.


	18. A Gloomy Homecoming

**A/N: Thank you so much to CommanderValeria, MRSSPICY, and Kat for your recent reviews! I hope I didn't worry TOO many people into thinking the mature love scene from last chapter was going to be with the Airaldis. LOL I didn't even think how that might sound. Don't worry, it was just Mae and Andrew :)**

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><p>CHAPTER EIGHTEEN<p>

A Gloomy Homecoming

* * *

><p>"Well?" Severus demanded, seated next to Dinah at the breakfast table with an agitated expression as the two elder Airaldis came in that morning, levitating plates of eggs and bacon onto the shiny teak wood before their places. Dinah glanced from him to the Airaldis, hoping the older couple had found something useful, and also wondering why neither Mae nor Andrew had yet made it to breakfast. Well, she thought with a little smile, perhaps they had taken some sort of advantage of being alone and away from Hogwarts tonight, and were exhausted. Far be it for her to judge them, as they were her friends. And she knew Severus, who normally took a sadistic pleasure in breaking apart affectionate students, felt the same in this case.<p>

Amanda looked cautiously hopeful and nodded, floating a box of various papers to rest in-between Dinah and Severus for their perusal, "We put everything that may suggest his various associations into that box for you to look at. Some of it might not be helpful, but we did keep seeing a reference to a contact in the Department of Mysteries pop up."

"A contact in the Department of Mysteries," Severus muttered, idly lifting a letter off of the top and letting it unfold in his hands.

"Yes," Ennio said, sounding almost excited by the find, "We'd hoped it might help the two of you begin to decipher our son's location. At least, it might be a lead."

"This letter is signed 'Your Friend at the Department of Mysteries' and merely thanks your son for his interest in some of their unnamed materials," Severus declared, tossing the letter to Dinah and not sounding impressed in the least. She caught the letter from him and began to peruse it herself.

"Yes, but he received countless letters of that same nature in that same writing over a period of at least two years," the old woman clarified, "Such consistent correspondence would warrant a closer look, I would think."

"Well, that does change things," he agreed.

"But he never mentioned this contact to you?" Dinah asked, raising the Snape eyebrow, a gesture that she had taken from her husband and that their children were now also starting to mimic.

"As we've said, he was a rather closed book with us, especially during the war years and after," Ennio explained, "We had a clash of opinions, but we always did keep the respect in our relationship alive. That is, until he decided to disappear. It's only for that reason that we'd even consider going through his personal effects, so you should be grateful."

"We are," Dinah assured, while Severus simply snorted. Yes, the older couple could be brisk but at least they were being more helpful than she'd expected, Dinah thought. And a small lead was better than no lead at all. Though she did realize her husband was hoping for more than this, and really so was she. But their differing Slytherin and Hufflepuff natures really showed through in their responses to the information they did get. She was the optimist and he was the pessimist, no doubt about it.

As there was really no more information they could get from the Airaldis at this time, they finished their breakfast with the older Italians and got ready to head back to Hogwarts. Dinah was really starting to get concerned about their students' conspicuous absence when Mae finally emerged from the wing in which they had all spent the night.

Immediately, Dinah could tell that something was wrong. The girl looked drained and exhausted, her expression blank and forlorn. Even Severus's eyebrows went up at her appearance. If Dinah didn't know any better, she also looked like she'd been crying. "Good morning, Mae…" she hesitated, hoping her worry didn't show too much in her face, "Are you…?"

"Let's go back to Hogwarts," the girl said, her voice empty of any emotion. "Did you get what you needed from the Airaldis?"

"Well… yes, we did a bit at any rate but…"

"Then I want to go home."

"Well… all right then," Dinah murmured, realizing that this wasn't the best time for her to pry, but hoping her young friend might open up eventually. "If you have all your things, then you can meet us out front when-"

"Thank you," she replied, moving to walk past them towards the castle's exit, carrying her small handbag with her, which concealed all her things with wizard space. Dinah and Severus's eyes followed her until she was out of sight.

"Now what on earth was that all about?" Severus questioned aloud.

"I don't know," Dinah admitted, turning to look at her husband, "Severus, I think something might be terribly wrong."

He frowned, his expression showing his agreement, "Well then-"

"Professor Snape" a firm voice had them both turning around again to face Andrew as he next emerged from their slumber wing. Similar to Mae, he did not look happy, but in contrast to her depression, he instead looked determined, his hands clenched into fists at his sides and his gaze steady.

"Yes? To which of us are you referring?" Severus asked, looking too surprised to raise an eyebrow.

"You," Andrew declared, marching forward to stare Dinah's husband down, man to man, "I want to take extra Patronus lessons with you."

Dinah felt her own eyebrows go up. That seemed an… odd request, and still rather disjointed with Mae's dejected behavior. What in the world was going on with these two? Everything had seemed fine yesterday.

"Is that so?" Severus murmured, "And why, might I ask, are you requesting this of me now?"

"There is something that I need it for. A full Patronus, with a shape. I'm willing to do whatever extra work is necessary to make that happen, but please let me take individual lessons with you. And…" he paused to sneeze, making Dinah notice that he hadn't been sneezing a lot during this whole determined conversation. Perhaps when he was firmly devoted to something he could stave it off. He really was a strong boy, stronger than a lot of his peers gave him credit for. "And please keep this a secret from Mae," he finished.

_That _finally got the raised eyebrow, "Really? And you aren't going to tell me _why _you need me to keep this a secret from someone we all see and speak to regularly and who is taking individual Patronus lessons from me at the same time?"

"I'll explain eventually," he assured them, "But please just trust me for now. It's something that I have to do. You can respect that, can't you?"

The two men stared at each other for a bit longer, but it was not the stare of a mentor and student, at least not much anyway. There was a good deal of camaraderie there as well, and finally Severus gave a nod, "Very well. But it is up to you to conceal your comings and goings and come up with alternative explanations of your whereabouts if need be. I won't make mention of it to anyone, but I am not going to do all of those extra things for you, either."

"I understand," Andrew managed a slight smile, visibly relieved at Dinah's husband's agreement, "Thank you."

"Mm. You're welcome. Now make sure you have all of your things. We are about to leave this place."

"Yes, Sir," he nodded, and that was that. Something strange was going on between Mae and Andrew, and Dinah only hoped that whatever it was would become clear to both her and her husband in the long run.

* * *

><p>"Mummy!" Maylene shrieked, making a flying leap into Dinah's arms and nearly knocking her over the minute Lucy let them into the Blacks' rooms.<p>

"Well, hello, sweetheart," Dinah chuckled, used to this enthusiasm by now as she hefted her daughter onto one hip, watching Tommy toddle by them and latch onto Severus's legs, "Did you have a fun night? Did you take your bath for Auntie Lucy?"

"She made me," May whined, burying her face in Dinah's shoulder, "Owen even tried to sneak me out but she wouldn't let him."

"Well, it's not very nice to walk in on girls in their baths," Lucy grinned, "No matter how much the lady prefers to be dirty."

"That's true," Dinah chuckled, "Thank you for taking them."

"It was no problem," Sirius said, carrying Dara over. The little baby was making gurgly, cooing noises.

Altair, not wanting to be left out, grabbed a book and toddled over to Severus, tugging on his robes and holding up the book to him.

Severus chuckled, reaching down to pat Altair's ginger head and take the book, "Perhaps if it is a short one. We do have to return to the dungeons at some point, you know," he carried Tommy, who he had lifted up, over to the couch and beckoned Altair to join them, the young boys clustering to listen to the story. Dinah smiled at the sight and turned to Sirius, reaching over to pat Adara's little fuzz of black hair.

"Can Dara listen to the story, too?" Tommy asked from the sofa.

"I think so, Tommy," Sirius said walking over to the couch and sitting down next to her young son, "She might not stay awake the whole time though."

"How did everything go?" Lucy asked, smiling over at the little group on the couch.

"Eh, all right, I suppose," Dinah shrugged, setting May down to run off with Owen to his room for a little bit, "If nothing else we have another _lead_ but still no answers. And Mae and Andrew… Merlin, I thought they were getting better but it seems they're getting worse," she sighed.

"Oh, that's too bad," Lucy sighed, "I was hoping they'd figure things out. You don't have any clue what might be going on with them? It's good that you have a lead too. It's progress. I'm sure that doesn't make it any less frustrating or worrisome."

She smiled. It was good to have a friend to talk things over with, bounce ideas off of; "No, but we'll figure it out eventually. The lead, not Mae and Andrew; I can't figure those two out at all. Mae did finally get her Patronus to work at least a little bit and then they seemed happy the rest of yesterday. But all of a sudden this morning they were barely speaking to each other, and _neither _will say why," she left out the bit about Andrew's Patronus lesson request, as he'd asked to keep it a secret.

"Did they spend the night…together? Maybe that had something to do with it."

"I don't know," Dinah admitted, "I suspected they might but it wasn't my business to pry or to ask them unless they wanted to offer the information. Severus doesn't know either."

"Oh, of course. I didn't expect you to spy on them or anything. I wonder…"

"Yes, you and me both," Dinah agreed, "As for our lead, the Airaldis confirmed that their son wrote the letter, but they believe he was doing it for someone else. Unfortunately, they have no idea where he even is or who he could be in cahoots with. But we've got a possible connection to someone in the Department of Mysteries that he was writing to for a time, so we're going to follow that lead and see where it goes." She chuckled, "That reminds me of the time when you and Sirius took me to the Department of Mysteries to look up information on Tommy."

"Yes, Mummy?"

"Oh, not you, sweetheart," she laughed, turning to smile at her little boy, "The other Tommy."

"Oh, okay," he nodded his understanding, turning his attention back to the book his father was reading.

Lucy grinned, "Well, if you want any help trying to find out about this mysterious person in the Department of Mysteries I can do my best to put you in contact with the right people."

"Thanks, that would be helpful," Dinah grinned back, "Make it even _more _nostalgic, you know."

"Yes, that was…an interesting trip to say the least. It all turned out lovely though. If we hadn't gone we might not have any of that," Lucy said, nodding towards their families.

"Mm," Dinah smiled, reminiscing. It was a bit of a stretch, but that trip to the Ministry had seen her being quite cold to Sirius having just seen Severus's pensieve scenes recently and learned about the way the other man had treated her husband in the past. Additionally, coming back from the trip the two men had encountered each other in the Hogwarts halls and it had not been pretty. But each little encounter along the way to where they were now had shaped them, and now their families were close enough that the two men could sit next to each other and read stories to their children, who knew nothing of the rivalry their father's had faced. It was quite heartwarming.

"Well," Dinah turned back to Lucy, "Just let me know who I should talk to and when, and we'll go from there. Preferably soon, if you can. Oh, is your window loose? It's rattling," she gestured to one of the windows, which had just shook a little as though a gust of wind had hit it.

"I don't think so," Lucy frowned, walking over to the window and investigating, "Nope, it seems secure."

"Hm," Dinah shrugged, "Oh well. We should probably be heading back to our rooms."

"I understand," Lucy nodded, "It's getting close to lunch and naptime anyway."

Altair apparently had other ideas and tapped the book Severus was holding with his hand a couple times.

"I am afraid we cannot read it again today," Severus said with a smile, "But perhaps your mother or father will before your nap. Come, Thomas. Why don't you fetch your sister and we can leave."

"Okay, Daddy," Tommy agreed, leaning over to pat the baby his Uncle Sirius held on the head, "Bye-bye, Dara. Bye, 'Tair. MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY, DADDY SAYS WE GOTTA GO HOME NOW!" he shouted, running off towards Owen's room.

Dinah chuckled, turning back to Lucy, "Well, thank you again for watching them. I do apologize for Maylene's behavior at bath time. As you know, we're… working on that."

"Oh, it was no trouble. Actually bath time went better than I expected, though she still fought me. I think kids tend to have better behavior when it isn't their parents telling them what to do, you know?"

"Yeah, there's probably a good deal of truth to that," she laughed.

It didn't take them too long after that to gather their children together and shuffle them down to the dungeons, where Dinah was greeted with a surprise. Shifting from one foot to the other nervously in front of Severus's office door was none other than Mae Yates.

"Auntie Mae-Mae!" Maylene did another flying leap into her young aunt's arms.

"Hello, Maylene," Mae smiled, hugging the little girl close, looking grateful for any kind of a hug and making Dinah's heart ache a little, "I… um… I'm sorry to be just standing here, I wondered if I could talk with you," she hesitated, her eyes imploring Dinah for understanding.

"Of course!" it took her less than a second to respond, "We just have to have lunch and put the two down for their naps, and then we can talk as much as you'd like. Would you like to join us for lunch, too?"

"That'd be great, thanks," she said, her voice wavering for a moment and then steadying.

Severus blinked, revealing mild surprise that would not be visible except to those that knew him well. "Come, you are most welcome here," he said, placing a brief hand on her shoulder as he charmed the door unlocked.

"Thank you," she repeated, setting Maylene down and heading inside with them.

Mae was mostly quiet throughout lunch and when Dinah and Severus put the children down for their naps. Once all was peaceful, Dinah left Severus to work on some Potions research and Defense lesson plans and shuffled Mae off into their bedroom, sitting across from her on the bed and waiting to see what was up.

"Thank you for doing this," Mae murmured, "You can tell your husband about what we talk about here if you want, but I just wanted to talk to another woman alone about this first and… Lisette won't help. You know how she is with Andrew… and you… and everybody who's 'different'…" she heaved a shaky sigh, tracing the bits of dark thread on the black comforter underneath her.

Dinah gave a sigh of her own, nodding. She had long ago given up on getting Lisette Jorkins to like her. From the moment she had revealed her ability to speak Parseltongue the girl had been against her and Severus. She even distrusted Lucy to a certain degree, as at one point it had been in the papers that Dinah's friend had suffered a mental breakdown at Sirius's death. Every time anyone got negative publicity, Lisette was there to trust it blindly, it seemed. But Dinah had gotten so used to it that it didn't faze her when the girl had believed everything in Rita Skeeter's recent book. But Mae still tried to be friends with Lisette, so it was harder for her, so much harder…

"I know," she finally replied to her student, "I know how she is. But don't let that stop you from talking to me. I'm here to listen to whatever happened."

"You obviously noticed that _something _happened," Mae sighed.

"Yes, but I've been trying to stave off my curiosity. Waiting for you to tell me, if you wanted," she admitted.

"Thanks," Mae sighed a third time, lifting her head and taking a deep breath before admitting, "Andrew asked me to marry him."

"Mae!" Dinah's initial reflex, before she had a chance to think further, was to smile at that wonderful news.

Mae, on the other hand, burst into tears; "Oh, Professor Snape, it was horrible!" she moaned, covering her face with her hands, "He said he wanted to get married _this _summer! And I said that that was too soon, and he thought I meant that… and I thought he meant that…" she trailed, no longer able to talk through her sobs.

"Mae," Dinah murmured, her happiness crushed and her heart broken at her friend's obvious distress. She could barely put together what it all meant, just needed to calm Mae down first, "Mae, it's all right," she encouraged, putting her hands on the seventh-year's shoulders, "Just calm down and tell me what happened."

"It… he…" Mae whimpered uncovering her face and trying to get the words out, "I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd get so upset, I'm just scared he… he and I will… we had such a big fight…"

Dinah nodded, hanging her head and reaching to take one of the girl's hands, "I know. Big fights can be tough. But all couples have their share of them. So you felt he was rushing you and he disagreed, or…?" she lifted her head, intent on trying to understand this situation as best she could so that she could provide the most help.

"Mm," Mae nodded, looking like she felt a little comforted from the contact, "I don't think he understood why I thought it was too soon. It was like he wanted to get married to rush me in front of his parents and force them to like me. I told him that wouldn't work… we should wait because if we rush it we'll have a harder life, and it would be easier if we got married much later. So I said no for right now… and he was so hurt and upset by it, I…" she broke off with a little sob before stabilizing herself and asking again, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no," Dinah assured her, saddened again to the point where she felt tears in her own eyes now. Mae and Andrew were her very, very dear friends that she loved and she hated to think of them going through this. Just hated it. "Mae, of course you did _nothing _wrong. You said how you felt, and… perhaps waiting _is _the best thing for you two. But that's such a hard decision to make. Some people feel that it's all right to jump into things right away, that their love will be enough to work through the hard times, but…"

"Yes! Yes!" Mae exclaimed, "That's where we differed, I think… at least one of the places. Andrew thought that I didn't think our love would be enough, but that's not what I meant at all. I _do _think it would be enough but… but why put us through all that hell if we don't have to? It's just not logical! I mean, I'm still a Ravenclaw. I just don't see getting married early just to prove we love each other when we'd be much happier getting our own lives in order, planning for a while, and doing it when we're _really _ready. I tried to tell Andrew that, but he just didn't understand."

Dinah nodded, releasing Mae's hand and folding hers on her lap, taking this all in. It was true. The Ravenclaw in Mae shone through brilliantly in this situation. She was a very reasonable young woman, and though a bit of the Hufflepuff or even Gryffindor in Dinah had some appreciation for the idea of diving into a relationship with the one you love, she could see Mae's side too. After all, it was a good thing she and Severus had waited until they had tied up most of their issues before getting married. Not that that had taken very long, as the drama of the dark storms, flayed baby, and youthening had expedited things a good deal, pushing them forward. "I think you have to do what's best for you, and I think if you feel you aren't ready then you should listen to that part of you," she finally said, "But you do reach a point sometimes where you can't fix _everything _in your life before getting married. Eventually you do have to jump in. After all, life is never perfect and marriage is meant to be at least a bit of a challenge."

"I know. I know that," Mae murmured, "But to wait until we have jobs, and lives, and until his parents have if nothing else accepted the fact that we're staying together…"

"That's perfectly reasonable, I think," Dinah nodded, "But perhaps Andrew understands things in the situation a little differently than you do. Have you tried listening to his side?"

She shook her head, a frustrated expression on her face, "I tried. I really did, but I just couldn't get what he was really trying to say. It seemed a little like… it was all about his parents, and that bothered me. I mean, why is it so important to force me on them? I've…" she sighed, "I've come to terms with the fact that it's possible they'll _never _get to like me."

"But you always seem sad when you say that," Dinah offered, "I don't think Andrew holds any illusions about his parents. Maybe he's afraid it upsets _you _that they don't like you. Maybe he thinks that's what you want – to feel comfortable around them."

"I'd like that, sure, and it does hurt me a little, but… I know how the Wizarding world 'works'. It's enough that Andrew's moved forward to accept me and people of my birth. Even if his family is all pureblood elitists it would never keep me from marrying him… someday." She stared down at her lap, and said softly, "It sounds like he's afraid if we don't rush into this we'll fall out of love with each other or something. And… and I'm afraid that he thinks what I meant by we should wait is that if we get married now the same thing will happen. But I can't ever see me stop loving him… never."

"I can't see that either," Dinah said softly.

"Really?" she looked up, her gaze hesitant.

"Mm," Dinah nodded, "You two have something very special. I've seen it ever since I first met you, before you even started dating."

"I know, but…" she shook her head, looking hopeless again, "After we fought I tried to make my Patronus work again and I got nothing. I tried again this morning, and when I got back to my dorm… I just can't make the light form anymore, no matter how hard I think about how much I love him. What does that mean?"

"That you're stressed and worried, not that you don't love him," Dinah smiled, reaching to put her hand over Mae's again, "And Andrew saw you try it that first time? He saw that you couldn't do it?"

"Yeah… probably hurt him more, or something. I don't know; I ran off to my room after that. It smelled like roses…" she trailed glumly, her mind getting distracted by her depression.

In contrast, Dinah almost felt like laughing, and not just at the mention of the rosy rooms at the Airaldis' again either. No, it was with joy as she realized that these two students were not really having any troubles at all. Well, yes, they were, but she had no doubt that they'd make it through them now. Andrew wanted to form a Patronus _for _Mae, and though Dinah could not tell her young friend what her boyfriend was doing for her, she _could _put on a positive face and now _know _that everything would be okay between them. But rather than laughing and confusing the poor girl, she just let her smile widen, "Mae… I wouldn't worry too much. You two love each other. You told me that, and I'm just certain he, also, loves you just as much now as he always has. You have to trust in that love, you know? You're going through a rough spot and I know how hard that can be, but don't ever give up and I just know you two will make it through just fine."

"You really think so?" Mae asked, forming a little smile before it fell, "But I just don't know what to say to him right now. I can't talk to him. I just…" she sighed.

"I'm not saying it won't take a while to sort things out," Dinah admitted, "It might. And maybe you need to take a break to sort out your feelings. Or maybe you don't. I can't tell you what's right or what's wrong in this situation, but I _can _tell you that I believe in the both of you very much. Try to see if you can understand how Andrew feels. In order to make it past this rough patch you have to learn how to properly communicate how you're feeling with one another."

"Yeah. I know you're right," Mae sighed looking up to smile at her, "Thanks. But… about my Patronus… I feel so rotten. I mean, after you and Professor Snape made all that effort to take me there and get me help in forming my Patronus, and all the extra sessions I'm taking with him, and I just failed again… probably fail my N.E.W.T.s too, at this rate…"

"Don't be ridiculous," Dinah gently chastised, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Mae, you and Andrew are our _friends_. Even if you fail your N.E.W.T.s, which you aren't going to by the way, but even if you _did _that would never change. Not to Severus, either, I assure you."

At that, another relieved smile quirked onto Mae's lips, "I guess if you really think so, I should believe that. Thank you. That means so much to me, really."

"Of course," Dinah insisted, smiling, "And you and Andrew are going to get through this. I promise. After all, you love him, don't you?"

"More than anything, and I always will," she insisted, looking as though she had a good deal of conviction in her choice. Smiling, she leaned forward to wrap her arms around Dinah.

Hugging her back tightly, Dinah assured her, "I'm always here to listen to anything, if you need me."

"Thank you, Professor Snape," Mae smiled, drawing back.

In a split instant, Dinah made a decision, and shook her head at Mae, offering her a warm smile, "Dinah."

The girl's eyes widened, "Really?"

She chuckled, nodding, "Yes. Really. It only makes sense, after all. I was thinking I'd wait till you graduated, but that's just silly. We're friends. I probably should have let you call me by my first name a lot earlier than this, but I wasn't sure what the right thing to do professionally was. Now I know. Of course, please continue to call me Professor Snape in class, but other than that, Dinah's fine. In fact, I insist."

The seventh-year's face lit up in a smile and she nodded, "All right, Prof – ah… D-Dinah…"

Dinah beamed at her, showing her that it was just right. And it _felt _right, too. How could she have one of her closest friends calling her 'Professor Snape' at this point, anyway?

Mae grinned, but her face quickly fell again, "I assume Andrew is the same? I'd tell him myself, but I…"

"Don't let that bother you. I'll tell him. You two work things out at your own pace and don't let either Severus or I push you in any direction you don't want to go in. Oh, and…" she giggled nervously at the thought, "Obviously, that whole first name thing goes for me and me alone. I'll work on Sev, but ultimately it has to be his decision."

"Uh, yeah…" May looked similarly nervous as she gave an anxious little laugh, "Of course. Obviously."

"We'll give him some time to get used to you calling me by my first name first," Dinah decided, thinking that was probably the most reasonable way to go. She had mentioned her thoughts on first names to Severus before and he'd been more or less indifferent, but they had been just musings and she had no idea how he'd feel about it in actuality. Well, she knew he'd come to terms eventually but had a feeling the idea of a student calling him by his first name was something he would balk at for a while.

"Probably a good idea," Mae grinned, standing from the bed, "Thank you again. I should probably get back… homework, you know. Not that I've been doing great in any of my classes lately."

"You've been all right, I'm sure," Dinah said, standing as well to place her hand on Mae's shoulder once more, "Again, come by any time you need to talk."

"I will. I promise," she smiled, "Who knows, maybe one day we can sing some karaoke again, if I'm in the mood."

"Well, I certainly hope so, I'm starved for karaoke fun between Mister 'Anti-Muggle-technology' and screaming kids," Dinah lamented, laughing with Mae at her exaggeration.

"Well, we'll see if I can help you with that soon," she smiled as they headed out into the main room where Sev was still simultaneously outlining a lesson plan and watching some experimental potion brew. Whatever it was, it was steaming purple and smelled sort of like pears.

He stood when he saw them come out, "Well, I trust your talk has been satisfactory?" he asked, looking at Mae with thinly-veiled concern, and Dinah realized he had probably heard her crying through the bedroom door earlier.

"Yes, Sir, thank you for letting me talk things over with your wife. I think I know where to… start now, at least. And… we're still on for Patronus lessons next week?"

"Unless you've changed your mind."

"No," she assured, shaking her head in relief, taking a step forward as though to hug him but then seeming to change her mind and stepping back, smiling, "You two enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll just let myself out, then. Thanks again, P – Dinah," she waved.

Dinah waved back and tried not to giggle at her husband's raised eyebrow as they watched Mae walk through his office and leave. It reminded Dinah briefly, for some reason, of her and Severus's first big fight, where one of the many things she found to be annoyed at him for was the fact that his office was a barrier between their rooms and the rest of Hogwarts. Thus she was sort of blocked by it and had to deal with his detentions and office hours right next to her living space, and had to awkwardly walk through if she wanted to go anywhere. But he was attached to it where it was and, like all good marriages, some compromise was needed. After all, he _had _conceded to suffer through her and Mae's karaoke sessions for over five years.

"Did she just call you 'Dinah'?" Severus asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes!" Dinah beamed, turning to face her husband, "I finally decided to go through with it and tell her she could."

"Is that so?" he acknowledged, "And… she is… all right?"

Dinah felt her smile soften and nodded. She had no doubt that Severus would remain the students' friend even if they did fail their N.E.W.T.s. "She was upset at first, yes, but we worked it out. I'll tell you all about it in a bit. But first, don't you think it's about time you let them call you by _your _first name, too?"

She got the expected snort in response; "I will never allow a student to call me Severus."

"Oh?" she teased, not pushing it for the time being, "But you like it when _I _call you Severus, don't you?" Dinah murmured, resting her hands on his firm, black-cloaked shoulders and lifting her head, pressing her face into the wispy, greasy curtains of his hair and bringing her lips so that they were just touching the smooth, pale skin of his ear, "Sev…er…us… Your name is so beautiful."

She smiled as she could feel his face heat up, even with just the barest contact, and a rumbling growl ran through his masculine body, leaving her no choice but to press herself in closer and feel him, melding her body to his, letting her own skin heat up with a pleasant, tingling warmth; "Dinah, the children are going to awaken in around-"

"Twenty minutes?" she drew her head back just far enough to bat her eyelashes at him, keeping her cheek so it was still touching those precious strands of hair, "That's enough time."

He did not argue further, devouring her lips in a kiss. She wasn't worried about Mae and Andrew working things out eventually anymore, she thought as they made their way towards the bedroom, and so it would be all right to tell Severus about their problems… a little _later _in the day.


	19. Estrangement

**A/N: Thank you to MRSSPICY for her review of last chapter and to all my other reviewers! We get a little more of Andrew's POV now… hope you like it.**

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><p>CHAPTER NINETEEN<p>

Estrangement

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><p>"What in bloody hell has been with you the past few days?" Joseph Cantrell demanded, entering the Slytherin common room after dinner in the middle of the week following their trip to Azkaban, "You're so mopey. Did you have <em>another<em> fight with that Mudblood?"

Andrew looked up from the sofa he was seated in as a snarling growl rumbled through his body. Glaring at the boy that continued to be an invasive presence in his life even when they were not really friends, he could no longer contain his fury, "If I _did _have a fight with _Mae_, it is _none _of your business!" he shouted.

"Whoa!" Cantrell laughed, holding both of his hands up in front of him, "Relax, will you? I didn't think I'd set you on the warpath. Though I guess I forgot to change the term I used."

"Even if you usually change it to Muggle-born you're always thinking of the other word and this proves it," Andrew growled, "It doesn't matter what her birth is! Why don't you get off your pureblood high horse and just deal with it and _leave me alone_!"

"Hmph," Cantrell snorted, "Yeah, I know people say things are supposed to be changing. But if you know where to look, if you read the _real _research, there's plenty of evidence that Muggle-borns aren't anywhere near as powerful as purebloods. And half-bloods are somewhere in the middle. It only makes sense."

"That research is biased garbage," he snarled, "If you'd even try to listen to reason and think outside your outdated paradigm… but that's the beauty of paradigms, I guess. If it doesn't fit, you don't have to listen. Then you never change or move forward. You're stagnating, Cantrell," he mocked.

"Get all that from your other Muggle-born best friend?" the other boy rolled his eyes, "Mrs. 'Let's Love Everybody' Professor Snape?"

"So what if I did? At least I _listen _in her class," Andrew retorted, the slight shift in subject reminding him of his weird experience from yesterday. The Muggle Studies professor had practically assaulted him in the halls, popping up out of nowhere and insisting that he start calling her 'Dinah' instead of 'Professor Snape'. It was kind of nice, really, but had caught him quite off guard. Especially as he hadn't exactly been… focused on life as of late…

"Are you two having a row again?" Arnold Fitzgerald demanded, coming into the common room to the sight of Andrew glaring at Cantrell and vice-versa. Behind him, Andrew's other friend Alexei Edgecombe, the only Muggle-born boy in their year, looked back and forth between them, but kept his mouth shut due to the way Cantrell viewed his birth status.

"Yeah, your little friend here's lost it," Cantrell droned, "First he bites my head off then he starts babbling at me about 'paradigms'… I tell you, that Snape woman is a horrible influence on our school. Rita Skeeter's book hits it right on the head."

"She's not that bad," Arnold muttered before Andrew could lash out and 'bite Cantrell's head off' again. He was a second-generation half-blood, and although it was clear he tried to remain neutral on the pureblood versus Muggle-born bit, he was a pretty accepting bloke in general. Alexei, obviously, was on the side of equality, and Andrew was glad he had taken the time to get to know the other boy after his second year, when he had first started learning to be accepting himself.

That had all been because of Mae.

"Hmph. You would think so. I can't believe our head of house married her." He chuckled, "You know, and don't jump on me for this, I'm not saying it's good to be a Death Eater, but wouldn't it be _hilarious _if Rita Skeeter's book was right. If this whole 'on the side of good' thing was an elaborate ruse and he really _was _still a Death Eater? And his snake Patronus is a symbol of that rather than having anything to do with loving that goodie-two-shoes parselmouth?"

"That's preposterous!" Andrew shouted, "You don't even know them!" And he was supposed to sneak himself over to the Snapes' dungeons later this evening for extra Patronus lessons. Should he tell the professor and friend in concern what Cantrell was saying about him and about that book? Or should he keep his mouth shut? Probably better to keep it shut, but he was sick of the other boy saying these sorts of things about the Snapes. It was, in a way, analogous to Mae's dealings with Lisette. He didn't like that girl much more than he liked Cantrell.

Cantrell shrugged, "Maybe not. All I know is the Professor Snape that leads Slytherin now is a far cry from the brilliant, nasty, point-stealing one in Harry Potter's stupid books. He's too… _nice _now," the boy grimaced, "I mean, yeah, he's still cool and he takes a lot of points from Gryffindor and all. But he's got that wife and those little brats to be nice to… I don't know, seems like he's weakened considerably since he started a family. I think I liked the old version better."

"He hasn't _weakened_," Andrew defended, frowning at Cantrell. The other boy just got his blood boiling at every comment. "He's just using his strengths in different places than he used to. Just because those places aren't where _you _think they should be doesn't make him weak."

"Whatever," the other boy shrugged.

Andrew was just standing up from the sofa to try and make his point more clearly when Arnold jumped in-between them, "Now, come on, enough you two. Go back to your corners. Cantrell, don't you have some Gryffindors to go hound or something? Leave us alone."

He snorted, "Whatever, Fitzgerald. If Speasy wants to sit around moping for the rest of his life, fine by me." He gave an offhand wave and left the common room for the halls of Hogwarts.

Andrew sighed, feeling a sneeze come on as he flopped back onto the couch, "That git'll never change."

"Ignore him," Arnold advised, as he and Alexei approached Andrew on the couch, "But I _do_, unfortunately, agree with some of his statements about you. What is _with _you lately, Andrew? I've been quiet about it long enough. You don't seem to have the enthusiasm for anything anymore, and you're always drifting off into oblivion. What's going on? What _did _happen between you and Mae?"

After inwardly cursing his allergies as he had to blow his nose, Andrew admitted that he couldn't really hide it from his friends now that they'd asked. Sure, he hadn't offered the information, but he couldn't lie to them either. Not about this, anyway. "Mae said she wouldn't marry me," he mumbled, the pain coming back as he vocalized it.

"You proposed?" Alexei exclaimed, back to his normal talkative self now that Cantrell was gone.

"Yes, stupidly," he sighed, wishing they hadn't brought the whole thing up. He had been trying to quash all thoughts of it by being blank and emotionless. Not that it had worked well, but it was worse actually having a conversation about it.

"Well why would she say no?" his Muggle-born friend pressed, while Arnold simply stared; "You two are so close, right? Does this mean you're broken up now?"

"No!" he exclaimed, his heart sinking in terror at the thought. He and Mae hadn't really talked at all since that night but there had been no official break-up or anything of the sort. Nothing. Right? "It just means we're not getting married. I think…" he finished in a nervous whisper, turning his head down to stare at his lap and pray that they weren't breaking up. Mae would have said so, if they were. Surely. Though, if they couldn't even talk to each other, did it matter anyway right now…?

"You don't know?" Arnold finally found words.

Andrew shrugged, sniffling from his allergies and desperately hoping his two friends didn't think he was crying or something. He looked back up at them to guarantee it; "We haven't exactly spoken to each other about it after the big fight. And I guess she didn't say we'd never get married, just that we wouldn't right now. Said it was too soon. But doesn't she understand? If we don't get married right away…" How did he tell his friends that he was afraid he'd lose her without sounding pathetic?

"If you don't get married right away, then what?" Alexei asked, "Is this about getting your parents to like her? You've been pressing that since the beginning of the year, almost."

He heaved a sigh. Why did everyone jump to that conclusion? Just because he'd been talking about it constantly? Well, that wasn't a good enough reason. "No, it's got nothing to do with that. I mean, well it's a little part of it, but not the majority. Look, I hate to cut this short but I'm going to go to the library and study," he said, standing up and brushing past his two friends before turning back and offering as a flimsy excuse for his lie; "You know, like you said I've been drifty and need to really buckle down if I want to pass the first set of exams, let alone my N.E.W.T.s."

"Yeah…" Arnold offered, raising an eyebrow not unlike something one of the Snapes would do.

"See you," he didn't give either one of them a chance to protest as he waved and headed out of the Slytherin common room. That was enough third-degree for today, and besides if he was late for Patronus lessons he would incur the wrath of Professor Snape, who was most definitely _not _weak.

It didn't take him long to make his way the short distance to the Snapes' rooms, where he knocked on the male professor's office door. It opened to reveal the man in concern, the usual frown plastered on his face. Though one side of his mouth twitched up in a mild, friendly manner as he nodded his greeting, "Andrew. We will conduct your lessons in my Defense classroom. Dinah is currently attempting to bathe the girl…" he grimaced as his gaze drifted towards the open door to his living quarters.

"Of course," Andrew nodded, unable to prevent a slight smile from forming, though it was more halfhearted than usual. But the indiscernible shouting he heard from back there clued him in to the fact that there was some kind of amusing battle going on. Well, probably not amusing if it was his kid.

"All right. Let's go," the Defense professor stepped into the hall, shutting his office door behind him and leading Andrew towards the classroom where they would practice.

Andrew was as confident in his plan as he could be given the current unfortunate circumstances. He would show Mae, by producing a Patronus, just how much he loved her. Because he was certain the form of his Patronus would represent her in some way.

She was his happiness.

* * *

><p>It was peaceful and quiet when Severus finally entered his rooms that Tuesday evening after teaching the Speasy boy how to form a Patronus. Unfortunately, the experience had been more draining than enjoyable, simply by virtue of Andrew's mood. Gloomy and mopey didn't even <em>begin <em>to describe it. Severus was surprised he had put as much effort as he had into the Patronus, which Dinah was certain he wanted to improve for Mae's sake, to help them reconcile. Unfortunately, the seventh-year had not been quite so clear about his goals. In fact, he had hardly said two words the entire lesson. Just what Severus needed. To spend all his valuable time in the company of depressing teenagers.

And he was in for another unpleasant surprise. Quiet it was, but that was because the children were asleep and Dinah was seated on _their _green sofa reading _that _book. Potter's God-forsaken tale of that last year of the war. Severus narrowed his eyes as he watched his wife, who seemed completely unaware of his presence as she flipped and scanned the pages. He cleared his throat.

"Oh!" she jumped, looking up at him, "When did you come in?"

"Minutes ago, dear," he droned, raising an eyebrow, "I see you've finally decided to begin torturing me by reading that rubbish. And how do you find it so far?"

"It's not bad," she chuckled at his irritation, "I mean, he dumbed down the information about Horcruxes and stuff, as you know from the last book. Have to keep these tame enough for young readers as well as old, and the Deathly Hallows information just isn't wise to share in much detail. The three students are hiding out in the wilderness now, trying to destroy the locket and keep away from Snatchers and the like. The only thing that bothers me so far…" she hesitated.

He sighed, "_Yes_?"

"Oh, well Umbridge," it was his wife's eyes turn to narrow at the sudden realization, "She bothered me, of course, at that Ministry scene. Lying bitch-"

"Dinah, _your point_?" he growled, interrupting what was surely the beginning of another anti-Umbridge rant.

"Right. Well… I just wish they would stop saying mean things about you," she confessed, sighing, "It's always, Snape this, Snape that, surely the Hogwarts students are suffering with Snape as headmaster…"

"And it begins," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head, "This book is only going to make you miserable, Dinah, why read it? I swear, I certainly wouldn't have given Potter permission to use my likeness had I known what it would do to you every time you read one of his autobiographies. In fact, I still consider granting that permission at all to have been a bout of temporary insanity on my part. It must have been."

"It's not that bad," she told him with an affectionate laugh. Of course, not that bad _now, _but mark his words it would get that bad later. It always did. "Besides," she continued, "If you hadn't let him use you there would have been a great gaping hole in the story. You're a very important part of it, you know."

"Unfortunately," he snarled.

"But you did so many good things," she sighed, shaking her head; "I know Harry and his friends were just children, but I can't understand why they didn't trust you more, especially with Dumbledore vouching for you. I mean, just because you were mean to them in class shouldn't have made them suspicious that you were evil. That's a horrid conclusion to jump to! I mean, after you did what you had to do to the headmaster, I can understand why some people might have questioned it, but before then… before then it was just senseless."

"Perhaps, but as you say they were children. You know very well that children are less inclined to use logic," he said, tilting his head in the direction of their own children's bedrooms to indicate.

"How does it not still bother you?" Dinah asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

"It is past," he admitted, wondering why his wife was insisting on dredging it up again. He would attempt to resist that, but could not yet determine how bad this was going to get. After all, this was the book in which he died, albeit very briefly and not for real. How was his wife going to handle that when it came up?

"You know what really struck me?" she asked.

"What?" he sighed, coming forward and seating himself next to her on the couch, keeping close so that their bodies were in contact. He sensed she needed it. And not only from the experience of seeing her reactions to the other Potter books, but because he was intimately familiar with her physical and emotional signals.

As expected, she rested her head on his shoulder, keeping close with her hand moving to lay on his leg. He silently entwined his fingers with hers, waiting for her to continue.

Dinah sighed, "Dumbledore. How does he – did he – do it? He knew enough to know that people trusted his judgment, but he also knew that that trust would break down eventually, leading them to distrust you. Before you killed him in the last book, everyone except Harry and his friends trusted you, because _Dumbledore _trusted you. Dumbledore knew that his word was essentially law, that people… that they would believe him about it. But he also somehow knew that when you actually committed that act they would stop believing him and lose their trust in you even though he was telling the truth all along – that you _were _trustworthy. And he wanted them to believe him only until he didn't want them to anymore, and he knew that they wouldn't. I don't… I'm sorry, does that make any sense at all?"

It made perfect sense, and he squeezed her hand tight to let her know that it did, "Yes. The headmaster could see every possible outcome to the situation. He guided everything to exactly where he wanted it to go. But I don't think he was bothered in any way by the fact that he knew peoples' trust in him would dwindle. He was too wise for that, knew human nature too well. As we have always said, he could see everything. Everything, that is, but himself…" Severus trailed, nostalgia settling in as Gel hopped up on the couch, crawling across both of their laps, from his over to Dinah's. Severus moved to stroke the animal's fur; his hand moving with Dinah's which was doing the same thing. This cat, Gelbus, often reminded them of Albus and Gellert, their tragic story and how Dinah and Severus had promised to live for them. Because the reunited couple had not been gifted the time for full lives of their own.

"I know," Dinah murmured, sighing and watching as their cat settled down to curl up half on Severus's right leg and half on Dinah's left. It still surprised Severus that he had managed to take so well to these animals, as time had passed and he'd gotten used to them. "They were both good people, just lost for so long. And our friends. But… thinking about that time in yours and the headmaster's lives, it's sort of terrible… he planned for them to have faith in you, but then to hate you, all for the greater good. He wanted them to believe you were good only as long as it was useful."

"I knew the plan going into it," Severus assured her, "I made my choice. It was not as though the headmaster had some sadistic desire to turn our entire society against me. It was all necessary to protect this world, and to save Draco Malfoy who would have been far more damaged by committing the act than I was."

"Mm. You are such a good man," Dinah murmured, closing her eyes.

Severus sighed, resting his head against hers, as usual both touched and a little embarrassed by his wife's flattery. He did not know how to tell her that he didn't always see himself as quite as good a man as she did, especially given the appearance of these letters, reminding him of his original Death Eater days. But they were long past. That was the point.

"So…" Dinah finally changed the subject away from those awful books, "Your lesson with Andrew. How did it go?"

"Ugh," he groaned, thinking back on it, "It would be preferable if those two made up sooner rather than later. The boy's progress is decent enough, but his infernal brooding and constant dramatic sighs of hopelessness hinder my ability to successfully instruct. Do you have any idea what it is like to spend hours in the company of a moody, angst-ridden teenage boy?"

That got his wife to lift her head, turn to face him, and offer a highly amused raised eyebrow.

"Oh, silence!" he snapped, but couldn't help the natural laughter that filled him from escaping, as she chuckled with him. Yes, during the youthening, especially in the early days, he had been much the same, but their circumstances had been decidedly different. At least, that's what he was telling himself.

"It's all right," she grinned, snuggling back into her previous position as Gelbus readjusted himself on their laps from the upset, "If I could handle it, so can you. And I know you want to help them as much as I do."

"Perhaps," he smiled, closing his eyes as they got comfortable, "Perhaps."

* * *

><p>Mae sat in History of Magic on Friday listening to Professor Binns drone on. Unlike most of her fellow students, she actually liked this class. Well, all right, she liked the conversations that she often had with Professor Binns <em>after <em>class. The old ghost had had a brother when he was alive, Frederick Binns, and Frederick's life had been devoted to researching unexplained phenomena associated with ghosts and ghost-like beings, a sharp contrast to his brother who only appreciated cold, hard, proven historical fact. The professor had actually chosen to become a ghost himself because he was so bothered by his brother's 'wasted' life that he wanted to prove even one of his speculations had been a reality. They had all gone on unproven, however, until Mae's first year.

In that year, Professors Snape had, in their youthened forms, uncovered the surprising fact that Mae's famous ancestor, Muggle author Jonathan Yates, had actually been the squib author Raymond Scrump, eventually forced to abandon the Wizarding world to escape the squib stigma. Before then, though, he had published a couple of books based on his research conducted with an isolated magical tribe in New Guinea. The information in the books was mostly metaphorical but Mae had gotten some of his actual notes from her grandparents, and they contained ample information on real, factual experiences that lent support to Frederick Binns's speculated phenomena.

Now, Mae took every opportunity to join the ghost professor in poring over great-grandfather's notes, finding new things, comparing them with other research… it was just a great deal of fun and truly fascinating and intellectually stimulating. So she had taken a liking to the old ghost and thus did her best to try and endure his class with proper respect and interest, and she was usually pretty good at it.

Today, however, even Mae was having trouble not falling asleep in the lecture. Part of it was, of course, her depression due to her still-unresolved conflict with Andrew. But it was more than just that. For some reason, Professor Binns seemed even more monotonous than usual, if that was even possible. He also seemed sort of tired. Mae was fairly certain, however, that ghosts didn't get tired, so that just added another layer of oddity to today's class.

Yawning, Mae tried to keep herself awake with other thoughts. She had Patronus lessons with Professor Snape again tonight. Not that it would do much good. She had been thoroughly incapable of producing even a bit of light again since returning from Pembrokeshire. But the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been infinitely patient with her, something for which she could not be more grateful. Perhaps if it was the same after tonight's lesson, she'd try to cheer up a little and suggest staying and helping with the children or doing some karaoke with Pr – Dinah.

Mae smiled, glad that she was now able to call the Muggle Studies professor by her first name. It was still taking some getting used to because she'd thought of her as Professor Snape for so long, but 'Dinah' just felt right. She really did feel as close to the older woman as any of the girlfriends she had her own age. And it wasn't really like a parent-child or a mentor-student relationship either, although there were some subtle shades of those depending on circumstances, but hardly enough to call it those things. No, they were just really close friends. That camaraderie had developed a good deal when the professors had been youthened, but she had felt a resonating connection with Dinah even before then. Her class had really helped Mae as she learned her way about the Wizarding world, having come from a Muggle-born family. Well, not considering the squib factor, that was.

And, anyway, it would be a lot less confusing in her head. Now instead of calling them Mr. Professor Snape and Mrs. Professor Snape, she could call them Professor Snape and Dinah. Much more straightforward. She definitely liked it.

And now it seemed that her fellow students were getting up and leaving class. She locked eyes with Lisette for a brief moment, but then they both turned away. Since their argument about Andrew and the Snapes before visiting the Airaldi's, and given what had happened with Andrew _at _the Airaldis, which everyone had noticed by now, she just wasn't in the mood for conversing with Lisette. Her friend would probably try to frame things as an 'I told you so' when she really had _no idea _what was really going on. It was most frustrating.

Mae made her way up to the front of the room, managing to put a friendly smile on her face despite her lingering depression, "Professor Binns. Any new insights from the Department of Mysteries on great-grandfather's notes or your brother's research?"

The old ghost sighed, "No. Miss Yates. I am afraid the Department recently informed me that they will not be able to look into the archives for some time. Something about 'internal problems'."

"Oh," she felt her face fall. She was hoping for some intellectual stimulation to take her mind off of things. "You don't know what they mean by that?"

"They did not elaborate."

"Oh…" she said again, feeling her depression sink in a little more.

He sighed again, floating slowly in front of her and almost appearing to fade in and out a little, but that must have been her imagination. The ghosts didn't do that either. "I am sorry, Miss Yates, that I am lacking in my normal enthusiasm today."

Well, that helped her depression a bit. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the notion of him ever having 'enthusiasm'. Interest, perhaps, but not anything she would ever call enthusiasm. "That's quite all right."

"It is not only myself. The other ghosts are suffering from a similar affliction. A loss of energy we all feel."

"That's strange," she frowned, "Something worth studying, I would think."

"Perhaps…"

"I'll talk to Helena about it. Maybe she has some insights. And there's always the Hogwarts library…" At least it was _something _to occupy her mind. Maybe there was a new 'ghost disease' going around, but that was silly. Maybe it was just the weather, though it was an ordinary Scottish October so far as she could tell. It was probably nothing. But if she could spend her time researching whatever simple explanation there was for the phenomenon then maybe she could forget a little bit about her estrangement from Andrew.

No. That was a lie. Forgetting was impossible, and the longer she put off talking to him the worse things were going to get and the more miserable she was going to feel. But she was too afraid, too confused, to do anything right now. So she was jumping at the opportunity for a distraction. Hopefully that didn't make her a horrible person.

"Very well, Miss Yates. Good day…" Professor Binns floated off, more unenthusiastic even than normal.

Mae turned and hurried from the room, intent on finding Helena and getting to the bottom of this.

Desperate to bury herself in distraction.

* * *

><p>"<em>Expecto Patronum<em>!" Andrew watched with bated breath as the silvery-white light emerged from the tip of his wand, a bit stronger this time, and swirled around. He could vaguely make out the shape of something with wings, and he had a feeling that he knew what it was.

"Well," Professor Snape droned with the usual smirk in his tone as he regarded the Patronus in front of him, "It is still not much, but it is an improvement I suppose. It appears to be an owl."

"An owl for Mae," he murmured, staring at it, before it seemed to lose all of its energy and disappear. Why was it that when he thought about that truth he couldn't hold it any longer?

"Indeed?" Snape smirked.

Andrew sighed, shaking his head; "What does it matter? She obviously doesn't love me anymore."

Professor Snape was sort of glaring at him now, his eyebrow raised, and he snorted; "Mae Yates doesn't love you anymore?"

Glumly, Andrew shook his head again. That's how he felt lately. She didn't love him anymore at all.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor snarled a little and moved to shove some potions onto a shelf. "Stupid boy," he muttered, and then turned and looked straight at him, those near-black eyes boring in, "Andrew Speasy, you are an idiot."

Andrew blinked, not sure he had heard correctly. "Sorry, Professor, but did you just call me stupid and an idiot?"

"Yes, I did, and I should probably take around fifty points from Slytherin for the sheer idiocy of your statement."

"But you won't."

"No," the older man muttered, "I will not." Andrew smiled a little even in his depression. Professor Snape was known to _never _take points from Slytherin except in the direst of circumstances. It made life at Hogwarts quite easy when you were privileged enough to be in said house. But now Snape was glaring at him, "But I might take five if you don't wipe that smug grin off of your face. I thought you were depressed?"

"Ah…" Andrew agreed, recalling why Snape had threatened to take points and feeling that wave of glumness wash over him again along with the urge to sneeze. He frowned and tried to wait it out. Thankfully, it passed, and he told the Professor, "Well, can you blame me if my thoughts are a little bit mixed up right now?"

"I can blame anybody for anything, especially when they ask me to," Snape replied, smirking at him. Andrew had to admit that it was sort of true and he had pretty much walked into that one.

"Fine," he sighed, "Just tell me how I can make this stronger."

"Become happier."

Andrew glared at him, "I could have guessed that, but how do I _do _that when I'm so miserable? Is this what Mae has been going through? It's torture."

"The Patronus charm is difficult to conjure for even the best wizards if their minds are not in the right place," Snape explained, as though they were in the middle of class, "For that reason, since the first Wizarding war and the rise of the Death Eaters, it has not been a required spell for NEWT-level students. After Voldemort's defeat, it was reintroduced into the curriculum, but if you fail to perform it you can still pass your NEWTs if you achieve outstanding scores in all other spells."

"As if that's easy to do," he sighed, "I guess a lot of Slytherin students would have failed at producing them in the Death Eater days, huh? My parents could never produce one… though maybe they could if they tried now. They don't really seem to be interested, though." Why were his thoughts going in this direction again? No, he knew why. "Professor Snape, Mae makes me a better person. I need to show her that by producing a Patronus that clearly represents her. Then maybe she'll realize how I truly feel."

"Or you could simply speak with her about it but who am I to offer relationship advice?" he smirked.

"Your sarcasm is not helping," Andrew grumbled, not really worried about losing points. He sensed they were bickering more as friends now and in less of a professional capacity. "I can't talk to her. I don't know what to say anymore."

"And as she seems to feel the same way, the obvious answer is to never speak to each other again." Could it be the older man was starting to get _annoyed _with the fact that Andrew and Mae were having an argument? It seemed odd that he would be taking it so personally.

"I don't want that," he sighed, thinking that if he never spoke to Mae again he would go through the rest of his life as only half a person. He needed her. But he just couldn't talk to her right now… Showing her the Patronus seemed to be a safer alternative. "At least I've got a shape forming. If you're willing to help Mae when she can't form anything at all then you've _got _to offer me some other alternatives to boost this one, too!" he exclaimed, before his body seemed to decide that he'd gone on for too long without sneezing and hit him with a wave of them. And that only made him more depressed. He'd never meet another girl that could accept that part of him the way that Mae had. He was so lucky, and yet all he seemed to be doing was screwing it up.

"Fine!" Professor Snape exclaimed, "Though I have told Mae as well that now that I know the reason for your argument I am less confident in the possibility that alternative methods will work. But we will try them. Read this!" he slammed a huge book down one of the desks nearby where Andrew was standing.

"What is it…?" Andrew hesitated, reaching out to touch the untitled, gilded cover.

"A book, you infernal dunderhead. It is one of the ones that your similarly-stubborn girlfriend and I identified in our research on alternative methods. You will hopefully find chapter eight useful, but I'd suggest reading the entire thing. And come prepared to use what you've learned at our next session. Oh, and if you have any _questions_ about the material, ask Mae. She's already read it," he concluded, looking almost smug.

Andrew nearly laughed, "I don't think I'll have any questions, but… thanks. I know you're just trying to help."

* * *

><p>Severus stormed back into the dungeons after his late-night extra lesson with the infernal seventh-year was finally complete. Slamming the bedroom door, he stomped past Dinah's reading form on the bed to their closet, "I have <em>had <em>it with this Mae and Andrew drama, do you hear me?"

"What happened this time?" he heard his wife ask.

"It doesn't matter," he snarled, removing his outer robes, frock coat, and trousers and tossing them into the dirty clothes pile before throwing on his nighttime robes. He emerged back into the bedroom and stood over his side of the bed, regarding her, "They are both being ridiculous. And why must they involve _us _in this little spat of theirs at any rate?"

"Because we're their friends?" Dinah asked, smiling. When he just scowled at her she laughed, "They're still teenagers, Severus. Give them a break. They'll get through this."

Dinah. Always looking on the bright side of things. Frankly, it could get annoying. "But must they take us along for the ride?" he grumbled, climbing into bed and sitting against the head, eyeing the pile of seventh-year essays on the bedside table and trying to decide whether to grade some of them now or wait until morning.

She lay her head on his shoulder, "Yes, they must. Because they need somebody to talk to, silly. And clearly you have been most helpful with Andrew."

"I called him an idiot."

She laughed, "Oh, I can just see that! But did you get through to him?"

He shrugged.

"Are we having an unresponsive day?" she teased.

Severus had to smile a little, "We're having a frustrated, 'it's late, I'm tired, and these students are driving me mad' day. But, I suppose…" he decidedly grasped her waist and pinned her to the bed, "Perhaps you are right as usual, and our talks with the students will get through to them," he pressed his nose to hers. Her acceptance of his worst features, his nose and hair, was still one of his favorite things about their relationship even after all these years. "I can only hope they can be as happy as we are, my angel." The woman turned him into a complete sap, he admitted it. But he didn't really care.

She laughed a little, smiling that sweet smile up at him that she smiled when he showed her this kind of affection. When he made her happy. "They will be," she assured him, as her hands began to unbutton his robes.

He helped her to do so, anxious to be inside of her. It would be an excellent stress relief before bed. Because as it was these students were going to be the death of him.


	20. Sorrows from the Past

**A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter is finally up! Actually two chapters as I feel so guilty for having been absent for so long. I'm afraid this story will be updated a bit sparsely at least until later this summer, as I am very busy with field work for the next couple spring and early summer months. Never fear, though, this story WILL continue! Thanks so much to all my reviewers and to MRSSPICY and Amani Ishikawa for their recent reviews. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY<p>

Sorrows from the Past

* * *

><p>The words of the book started to blur a little in front of Dinah as she read, thinking that she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this rotten. Those horrible students in the woods were saying terrible things about her husband again, listening to that infernal 'Potterwatch' where they talked about his evil influence over the school and gave him nasty codenames and had no idea that the man they were condemning was at that very moment doing everything in his power to protect the Wizarding world. And doing it both alone and thanklessly.<p>

Occasionally, the prose was generous enough to throw in a 'but little did we know' mention, saying that Severus _had _indeed been doing good things. But it wasn't how Harry felt now that bothered her. It was how he had felt then. How everyone had felt then. And the fact that it had all been a part of the 'plan'.

Dinah reached up to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand, closing the book and returning it to the coffee table. Enough was enough, for today. The past week had been so busy she had needed to take a break from reading it and address some Muggle Studies literature and the like for class. She hadn't realized that picking it back up again would put her right at the spot where things started to get worse, the way people were talking about her husband. They didn't know anything. It was so unfair, so terrible, that he had had to go on in his mission like that never knowing for sure if he would be able to clear his name in the end. She knew he had always hoped for and assumed it would happen but then he had nearly gotten killed and, for a moment, thought that he might never get the chance. Might die like that…

That was it. She couldn't take this anymore. If she burst into tears she'd probably wake the children up from their pre-lunch nap and having them see her like that would be no good. She would be all right. She just needed to go see her husband. She stood, heading out towards his office and hoping there was no student there talking to him right now. It was still within the first half hour of her break, his office hours. She had thought it would be a nice, quiet break of reading with the children asleep and him in here doing his thing, but…

Dinah sighed, her heart aching a little as she leaned against the doorframe, watching Severus at his desk, no doubt grading papers considering the bright red ink he was using. He was so focused on his task that he didn't seem to notice her watching him. That was her Severus. So intense and so intelligent but also so sweet and gentle and amusing and snarky and sensual and perfect and… and he had gone through so many years not realizing that he was so many of those things. Not having her there, when he was all alone… The whole world was dealing with the Wizarding war and no one ever bothered to think how he felt… it was like he had been invisible, though he had done more than almost anyone else. Certainly more than she had done, hiding out in the Muggle world…

His dark curtains of greasy black hair fell forward to cover his face as he frowned down at some part of the paper he hadn't inked up yet, probably desperate to find something he might have missed so that he could take off more points. Especially if it was a Gryffindor paper. He was so predictable that way. But she loved these familiar parts of his personality.

Dinah walked over to the desk. The slight shift in her husband's position indicated that he'd noticed her this time, but surely didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. She visited him during office hours frequently enough that her mere presence would not surprise him. He was a little surprised, though, when she came up behind his chair and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, closing her eyes and pressing in close. "Dinah?"

She wanted to whisper, 'You're not alone now. I'm here,' but she didn't want to worry him too much, especially as she still hadn't gotten that far into the book yet and he had been expecting her to be upset by it. Plus, she didn't think the words needed to be said, as part of her was still stable enough to know that he knew it already. That he was happy now. But it still hurt so much to think of his lonely past. "I hate that book," she murmured.

It felt good. Indescribably good, when his hands came up to grasp hers, his thick, gentle fingers stroking along her arm, the normal mild, sarcastic amusement in his tone, "Rita Skeeter's book? Well, I should certainly hope so."

"Oh..." She had almost forgotten about that one in her misery. And Severus had not seen her pick up the Potter book a little while ago, so he wouldn't necessarily assume she had chosen today to start reading it again. "No, I didn't mean that one, though that one is certainly despicable, too. I meant Harry's last book…"

"Ah…" he trailed, sighing and leaning into her, making her heart tighten a little more, "Well, I'm glad of that. However, I don't assume this means you're going to _stop _reading it, does it?"

She sighed, considering before finally shaking her head, "No. I'll be okay. I can't stop now; I have to get to the end where everything turns out okay for you. For us. I think I'm mentioned in there a little. I've just _got _to get through to that part."

He frowned at her, but finally nodded, reaching to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek as she closed her eyes and indulged in the touch, "Fine. Do whatever you feel you need to, my dearest. However… do not hesitate to come to me if something bothers you. Again, I remind you that those events are _past_. Repeat that, Dinah. Past."

"Past…" she agreed, biting her lip and nodding. He was so good to her.

"Good," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her, "Now, I do have to get back to this grading, but please stay if you'd like. I enjoy your company more than I could possibly describe. Unless, of course, you wish to go and do some more reading," he raised an eyebrow.

Dinah shook her head, "No, I need a break. Though maybe when I _do _pick it up again next the best method is to rush through. Just get it over with. Right?"

"If you think so," he shrugged, "I personally have no desire to read it at all, but that is my preference."

"You're probably smarter than me," she sighed, letting her head fall against his and nuzzling her face into his hair, "I love you," she murmured.

As she turned to watch his face, she witnessed his lips curving up into a little smile as he let out a relaxed sigh; "I love you, too."

And seeing him so content like that, finally, made her feel a bit better.

* * *

><p>With exams last week Lucy had barely had time to care for her family and keep up with her paperwork. She felt terrible but she was only now getting to work on that letter to the Ministry she'd promised Dinah she'd write.<p>

Things had finally settled down though. It was the weekend, the kids were down for a mid-afternoon nap, though Owen insisted he didn't need one, and Sirius was in his office grading papers. There hadn't been any more mysterious letters that she was aware of and things seemed to have quieted down.

Though Adara had seemed to have a bit of a cold this morning, she absolutely refused to swallow her medicine, spitting it back into Lucy's face promptly .Someday that girl was going to give some poor boy major attitude, Lucy was sure of it. Of course her darling daughter got that aspect of her personality from her father. Lucy was nothing like that.

The letter finished, she started making her way towards the window, intending to call one of the school owls to her. It looked like she wasn't going to have to go through the hassle though; a tawny owl was already sitting on the sill. "What do you have there?" she asked. They weren't expecting a letter as far as she was aware.

Setting the Ministry letter aside, Lucy took the parchment the owl was holding and reached down to untie the single white rose that was strapped to its leg. She held the rose up to smell the fragrant scent before dropping it into a conjured bud vase.

The owl flew away before Lucy could hand it her own letter and so she wandered over to the couch and sat down. She broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. It was a short note, writing in an odd hand and in all capital letters:

PUREBLOODS SHOULD NOT BE TRAITORS. DO NOT INTERFERE.

- A

"Shouldn't be…? Don't interfere?" Lucy was thoroughly confused. How was she interfering? And how in the world did this 'A' know for sure that she was a pureblood anyway?

"Mummum?" a sleepy little red-head called from his doorway.

"Awake already?" she asked, watching Altair rub his eyes with his tiny fist. He'd fallen asleep in a pile of cushions and blankets on the floor and that's where she'd let him stay. She sat aside the nasty note, resolving to put it out of her mind until later and care for her child. "Come here baby," she waved him forward, "You want to come lay down with Mummy?"

The little boy nodded, and toddled over to her, his legs wobbly with sleep. Altair had been walking well for a couple months now but the baby unsteadiness still came back when he was tired. "Oh," she groaned, lifting him up to her, "You've gotten so big." Altair snuggled up against her as she lay back on the couch. "Mummy thinks she needs a nap too," she murmured, stroking his hair as the pair of them fell asleep together.

* * *

><p>Severus was sitting at his desk Saturday evening outlining next week's lesson plan when he heard a knock at his office door. Putting aside the paperwork for now, he walked over and opened it to see Lucy, Sirius, and the three children on the other side. He gave them a brief nod in greeting. As far as he knew, there had been no planned visit tonight; "Yes?"<p>

"Is Dinah around?" Lucy asked, setting Altair down. Owen was clearly eager to go find May, but was dutifully staying by his parents' side.

"Yes," he repeated in the affirmative this time, "But I can't promise you that going to visit her will be a positive experience. She has been rushing through that Potter book whenever the children are asleep or preoccupied, as they are now. Her idea is to finish it as quickly as possible and 'get it over with', however as I had fully suspected she has been a near basket case for the past few chapters." He had been listening closely to her in the next room just in case she got upset. All had been quiet up until now, but…

"Well, this isn't likely to make her feel any better," Sirius said, giving Owen the go ahead to go play as long as he took his little brother with him.

"We got a letter," Lucy said, holding it out to Severus.

He scowled, having some idea where this was going as he took the folded parchment from her, looking down at the words that confirmed his suspicions. "Another message from that infernal 'A', is it? I had thought perhaps he had given up his mad quest. And why is he sending a letter to _you _two now? Did you contact the Ministry?" he addressed Lucy, who had said she was going to, though both he and Dinah had let it slip their minds in all of the other activities of the past two weeks. Especially as nothing dramatic had happened. He cursed himself inwardly for allowing himself to be lulled into a false sense of security.

"I just sent it off on our way here. Exams and the kids kept me pretty busy…" she explained, looking embarrassed. "I had it written and I was going to send it earlier but then I got that… and a single white rose."

"A rose?" he repeated, frowning as memories of terrible-smelling bedrooms came floating back to him and he tried to sort through his thoughts on what the meaning of the letter might be; "Another attempt to direct our attention to Andre Airaldi? This does not bode well. Come inside," he beckoned, "We shall discuss this with Dinah whether she likes it or not."

"It had a nice scent," Lucy murmured, taking Adara from Sirius when she started to fuss and following Severus inside.

"I highly doubt that's the issue here," he said dryly as they emerged into the sitting room. Owen and Altair had already disappeared, presumably into the children's rooms, leaving only Dinah immediately visible on the couch, engrossed in that infernal book, "Dinah," he made a firm attempt to get her attention.

"Oh!" she looked up at him, clutching both hands to her heart as the not-so-unexpected tears shone in her eyes. What _was _unexpected was that they appeared to be tears of… joy? And she was smiling. "Severus, this is the most heartwarming book ever!" she gushed.

He felt his eyebrow go up, not making any sense of this, "Excuse me? I thought you despised the book. Have you gotten through to the end when things work out right for us already?" That seemed unlikely, though, as he figured at his death scene he would have gotten at least _some _reaction from her. Plus, he didn't think she could read that fast as she hadn't been anywhere near that far earlier today.

"No, no, I didn't get that far yet," she waved the notion off, her eyes alight with joy, "The poor imprisoned and tortured dragon at Gringotts found its freedom! It was just so beautiful!"

After taking a brief second to digest this Severus could only groan and bring a hand to his forehead, "Is that all? Do you see what I must put up with?" he demanded of the other two, allowing Dinah to continue wallowing in her idealistic mind. Granted, it was nice that she was having a short reprieve from her misery, but sometimes her unpredictability frustrated him to no end.

"At least she's not pregnant," Sirius muttered. Lucy was known to be notoriously emotional during her pregnancies, though Dinah had had various afflictions during each of hers as well.

"No. Never again," Severus agreed, "Twice is enough." Though he suspected the other couple was not through having children just yet. They had said as much numerous times anyway.

Dinah just smiled at them all, recovering from her elation and setting the book down. Severus allowed himself a moment's relief. It was good to see her behaving like her normal happy self again even if it _did _mean he was confused out of his mind; "So what's going on?" she asked, her gaze shifting to Lucy and Sirius, "What brings you two here tonight?"

"Um, well…" Lucy hesitated, looking uncomfortable as she shifted the infant around in her arms, "We… got a letter."

"From?"

"A _letter _letter, Dinah," Severus clarified, seating himself next to his wife and handing her the parchment so that she could see it, "From our notorious 'A'."

"But… 'A' is not Andre… we know that now…" Dinah murmured, her brow furrowed in concern. "Why Lucy and Sirius? If we jump to the conclusion that this 'A' is Andre's mysterious contact at the Ministry, then does that mean the Ministry has received Lucy and Sirius's letter and he knows that they're trying to 'interfere'? Or that we're onto him? Lucy, did you mention anything about our problem specifically in your letter?" she asked her friend, not aware that Lucy had only sent the letter today. That also worried Severus, but for a reason he could not quite place yet.

"The letter arrived before Lucy had sent off the one to the Ministry," Sirius admitted, as they both took seats.

"So why does he think that you two are interfering if he for sure had not seen your letter yet? Does he suspect… because we're so close…?" Dinah trailed, thinking and looking around for any other ideas. It seemed that she was also hovering around that same uncertainty Severus had about all this, but like him unable to place it.

"I don't know," Lucy murmured, "I don't like this… It's almost starting to feel as if I'm not safe in my own home. And the kids…"

Dinah shook her head, "Minerva has had wards up for weeks now. No one can get in, that's certain. Hogwarts is the safest place for us now. We have to continue to have faith in that."

"The only thing we can do is to continue to follow this trail where it leads," Severus determined, confirming his decision for himself and the others with a stiff nod, "And most certainly no more slowing down in our efforts. As soon as the Ministry responds to us we will respond back. Even if we must cancel classes or leave the children with your parents, Dinah, to take extra trips to figure this out. We _must _stay ahead of this individual until we can determine what he wants." They had long given up the idea that this would be a 'he or she', and had unequivocally decided that the mysterious perpetrator was male. It was just a feeling they all had.

"Yes, you're right," Sirius agreed, "and you know we'll help however we can."

Severus nodded, admitting to himself that ultimately he was glad to have Black _on _his side now instead of against him. "Your skills might be useful," he agreed in way of thanks, "Your Auror skills, Lucy, as well."

Lucy blushed, "I don't know. I'm sure they're pretty out of practice."

"Oh, I'd love to see you get out there and fight off the bad guys with your skills," Dinah grinned, causing Lucy to blush more as she reached over for the baby, "Now, let me hold Dara. I'll read this book to her and teach her how to be nice to animals and be happy when they're freed from slavery and torture to soar again in the blue skies."

"You sound like you're writing a novel," Severus said dryly.

"Well, now, I expect that's something we could try our hand at. Dinah's got the idea and I've got a fair skill at writing… comes from reading all the time," Lucy teased, handing her daughter over.

"Sounds fun," Dinah grinned at her friend.

"You'd just like to turn all the children into Hufflepuffs," Severus decided, raising an eyebrow.

"Dumbledore's portrait said I should turn everyone into a Hufflepuff," she retorted, sticking her nose in the air just a bit.

"I don't believe those were his exact words," he corrected, amused, leaning over to kiss her forehead. He stood and turned to the other two, "Would you like something to eat while Dinah converts the child?"

"Yes. Thank you. It'll be easier to separate O and Maylene if we let them tire themselves out, I think," Sirius said.

And with that, they moved away from the subject of the letters and began another normal evening. But Severus would not allow himself to become complacent again. He kept the letters in the back of his head this time, determined that as soon as they heard back from the Ministry they would go into action and see this through to its end.

* * *

><p>On Sunday, the children had been sent to play at the Blacks' upon May and Owen's insistence the day before. There was some sort of childish 'project' that they 'needed' to finish, and Owen had insisted upon hosting the second half of whatever it was at his house. Severus neither knew nor was particularly concerned with what they were doing. It would probably make little sense to his logical adult mind at any rate. The main thing was that they were enjoying themselves. And this gave him time to finish the last of the essays he was grading from the past week without distraction.<p>

That is, until he was interrupted by a strangled cry.

"No! No!" Dinah whimpered, causing Severus to literally jump in his seat and look over at his distressed wife. Hearing her voice like that was too painful of a distraction for him to care about grading anymore. Whatever was wrong, he knew that it was due to that horrid, infernal book in her hands.

He opened his mouth to try to think of something to say to calm her, but she was speaking again before he could make a sound.

"It's not him!" she shouted, jabbing a finger at the book, making the page crumple in a way that would probably appall Lucy. "It's not him, it's not him!" Now her hands were holding the book so tight the knuckles were turning white as she whimpered and tears began to leave her eyes, "You're wrong! Don't, please, it's not him! He's not the master of the Elder wand. It's not him, you _bastard_! It's not, you can't, please, don't! It's not him!"

"Dinah!" Severus exclaimed, not having waited to stand from him his chair and waste the time it would take to walk over her. No, he had apparated to stand at her side above the couch.

She turned those wet, agonized grey eyes up to him, reaching a hand out which he took without hesitation. "Severus!" She said his name with such strangled desperation in her voice it made his heart hurt. "It… it wasn't you!"

"I know." He didn't know what else to say.

"It… he was wrong! He killed you for no reason! He… he…"

"Dinah," he said more softly this time, seating himself next to her and tilting her chin so that she looked up into his eyes. "I am not dead." Perhaps logic was the best way to deal with this. And he was certainly glad he was not dead, that he could be here for her.

His wife's face crumpled and she nodded, curling into his arms and burying her face in his shoulder. He held her close, smoothing her hair, waiting for her to get past this. But, unfortunately, it was not to be so easy. When she drew back to look into his eyes again there was more of that expression; that agony mixed with pain and even anger. "It's not fair!" she growled, her Slytherin fire showing through along with her Hufflepuff empathy. But it wasn't just Hufflepuff empathy when it came to him, he knew. It was a deep love. One that he had always been so grateful for.

"It's all right," he tried to sooth, cupping her cheek and brushing at her tears, but she shook her head.

"It's _not _all right! He can't get away with this!" she declared, turning to clutch at the pages again, mangling them some more as she swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand and shook the book with the other, "He can't just walk around _killing _people for reasons like this!" She sniffed, "It's not right… especially not you. Not you, Severus… As far as he knew you did _everything _he ever wanted and you were his most faithful servant and you… you didn't expect he would kill you, but he _did_. Or tried to… and… and… he can't get away with it! YOU DON'T KILL HIM, YOU BASTARD!" she screamed at the book.

"Dinah!" Severus exclaimed, taking her hands and forcing them to loosen their grip on the book, taking it from her and setting it aside, "Dinah…" he murmured, intent on reminding her of something, "Think, for a moment, about who it is you are calling a bastard."

"To- _Tommy_!" she exclaimed, a fresh wave of tears spilling over her cheeks as she realized this, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead against them, thinking of the good half of Voldemort she had befriended, saved, and they had subsequently named their son after. "I'm sorry, Tommy…" she whispered, "You are my friend and I don't want to hurt you, but… this wasn't really you, and… and…" she turned to look into Severus's eyes, "I don't want to hurt Tommy. I'm so glad I was able to help him. And this part of him wasn't really him, anyway. But… that doesn't mean he can get _away_ with doing things like this! He can't! No one can! It's wrong! Severus…" she reached her hand to rest it on his cheek, her fingers as gentle and soft as ever, her eyes full of sincerity and love, "I once told you that if I could only grant happiness to one person it would be you. That hasn't changed. You take priority – mm!" She cut herself off when he covered her lips with his own.

He could have done nothing else. She had overwhelmed him with her words, and he needed to be closer. He wanted to meld, to become one… but they were already one. Yet he did not know how he could ever express in words how much he loved her, how much of a gift her presence in his life was. He also wished he could explain to her how much seeing her in this pain crushed him, but he feared if he did she would misinterpret it and feel like she had hurt him. He did not know what to do, so he just held her as tight as he could and kissed her with every ounce of love in his soul.

And when she clung tight to him, strangling his neck with her soft arms, trying to meld as much as he was, he was even more overcome with the unbelievable strength of their bond. He needed to make her pain go away. He didn't want to. He _needed _to. "Dinah…" he tried, when he had let her go and found words again, "Listen to me. I _am _happy. You do not have to worry about me. I have _you. _And I don't… I can't… I don't want to see you like this," he murmured, wiping away the tears that continued to form in the corners of her eyes, "I know you want to finish this book but… if it upsets you so…"

"I'll be all right," she whimpered, stubborn as usual. But she also managed a laugh as she reached to take his face into her hands, a little tiny bit of joy sparkling in her eyes. That, at least, was a start. "I have _you_," she repeated his words with just as much sincerity and love, reaching her lips up to capture his.

After another mind-numbing kiss and some soft assurances of love, a softness he had never really had about him until he had met her and she'd brought it out, she seemed to recover a bit. But her fingers again reached for the book, although they hesitated a bit before she grabbed it, and she turned confused, pleading but uncertain eyes to him.

He sighed, "If you must read it, you will finish it in my arms. I will not leave your side until you get through the part that hurts you."

Dinah's gaze softened and she nodded, reaching to take the book into her hands and cuddle up to his side as he kept her close, "Thank you," she whispered, nestling her head into his shoulder, staring down at the pages she had mangled, "We can't let anyone continue to do things like Voldemort did."

"No," he agreed, keeping his voice soft and encouraging.

"It's not right. It's terrible. You and so many others were lucky with the rebirths, and Tommy redeemed himself, but there are more evil people in the world." Her eyes filled with a familiar worry, "If this new person-"

"_Nothing _will happen to any of us," he assured her, running his fingers through her hair. "We will prevent that at all costs. You must believe that and make it true."

"Mm," she swallowed, nodding and closing her eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath and returning to the book, her eyes roving over the pages, tearing up a little again. But he was by her side now. And they would get through this together.


	21. A Seed of Worry

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A Seed of Worry

* * *

><p>Lucy was engaged in an afternoon feeding with Adara when an owl began tapping on the window. The rest of the children were out in the living room, being supervised by Sirius. Tommy had tried to sneak in a time or two, curious as to what was going on in the nursery, but he'd always been taken in hand before he'd managed to open the door.<p>

Shifting the baby, who was now only lazily suckling, Lucy stood and went to the window. She gently took the parchment from the bird, noting the large, elegant scrawl of her name across the outside. "Gawain…" she murmured down to Dara, "He works under Kingsley now. A much better position for him than an Auror, I think.

"He used to be my boyfriend, you know. Before I met your Papa," Lucy explained as she removed her daughter from her breast, covered back up, and moved to burp Adara. "He's a good man. A bit boring for my tastes, but good. He'll do well with Felicity Spore. I set them up, baby. Well, maybe not set them up so much as nudged Gawain in her direction when he got the notion that he wanted me back. Shall we see what he has to say about this Airaldi issue? Hmm?" she asked after the baby had given a couple small belches.

_Lucy,_

_First of all, please allow me, on behalf of everyone at the Ministry, to congratulate you and Sirius on the birth of your daughter._

Lucy stopped there… "It almost sounds like he thinks you just arrived, doesn't it?"

_Secondly, you asked about a connection between an unknown Ministry worker and the Airaldi family. I'm afraid I'm going to be of very little use to you in this regard. I, myself, know nothing of this family and when I went to look for any files on them I discovered that while the files did, indeed, exist, they had been pulled at some point and have not yet been returned._

_You also mentioned some discussion about some unknown 'discoveries' in the Department of Mysteries… It's rather embarrassing to admit but due to a recent theft in that department I was unable to find the documents… or what I think the documents you were referring to were. You would, of course, be welcome to come and do some investigations personally if you think it important, though considering the events that have occurred there I would understand your reluctance. If you do choose to come down though you will need the enclosed documents to allow you access to the proper areas. I've enclosed four of the necessary papers believing that if you do come you would bring Sirius as well as your friends, the Snapes. _

_Best of luck in your investigations. If there is anything else I can do for you please do not hesitate to ask._

_Warmest Regards,_

_Gawain Robards_

Well, it wasn't good news but it wasn't exactly bad either. She hoped Dinah and Severus hadn't been expecting too much from this letter. Before she put Adara down for her nap, Lucy went and opened the nursery door, finding, as she had expected, Tommy waiting patiently on the other side. "Well, hello there, Tommy. I was just going to put Dara down for a nap. Did you want to help?"

He gave a shy nod in response.

"Good, I was hoping you would. I was thinking we could rock her for a little bit. How does that sound?"

"You sing to her?" Tommy asked, taking her offered hand as she led him toward the nursery.

"Maybe a little bit," Lucy told him, sitting in the rocker and waiting for him to climb into her lap. When he got up there she adjusted the baby so that they were both holding her. "She doesn't usually take long to fall asleep though."

"I think she like it. Me and May like when Mummy sings to us," he said, patting Adara's forehead, "'Night, Dara."

The little girl gurgled and reached her hands out towards Tommy.

"I think she likes you," Lucy said softly, as she started to rock all three of them gently.

"She nice," Tommy murmured sleepily, resting his head on Lucy's shoulder, his eyes starting to close but not before he stuck out a finger for Dara to grasp.

"Time for your nap too?" she asked, kissing the top of the little boy's head. He mumbled a response Lucy couldn't understand and so she just kept rocking, starting to hum a little tune.

It only took a few minutes for each of them to drift off. Lucy struggled a little to stand without waking either of them but managed and safely placed them both in Adara's cot before quietly sneaking out of the room and pulling the door shut behind her.

"Sirius?" she asked, coming back into the living room. Her husband turned an inquiring expression to her, as he placed Altair in the play pen. That boy had the ability to sleep just about anywhere and the living room amongst the noise made by his brother and cousin was just as good as his own cot. "Think you can handle the hooligans? I just got a response from the Ministry… I should probably take it to Dinah."

"Of course. Anything…?"

She shook her head, "No, not really. I'll fill you in on the details tonight? Adara and Tommy are fast asleep in her cot so as long as I'm not too long it'll just be Owen and May…"

"It's fine. Go on," he encouraged.

With Sirius's insistence she headed out the door and straight towards the dungeons. The familiar path only took a short time and when she reached the door to Severus's office she walked through and into their rooms, the courtesy of knocking slipping her mind completely. "Dinah?" she asked, seeing Dinah and Severus close together on the couch. Severus's arm was around his wife and the pair of them looked completely worn out. It made Lucy wonder if they'd just gotten themselves put back together after enjoying some alone time.

That image didn't last for very long, though. Dinah's eyes went wide and she gasped, "Lucy!" whimpering and flinging herself up from the sofa to launch herself at Lucy and throw her arms around her, "_Thank you_, Lucy!" she sniffed, "You... you were there and brought them back. You were there for them when I couldn't be. You gave me back my Severus. I know anyone could have done it but I'm just so happy it was _you_, if it couldn't be me."

"Wha… uh… you're welcome?" she said, returning the hug. She had a vague notion of what Dinah was referring to but looked over towards Severus for confirmation.

"This," he murmured in explanation, lifting up none other than Harry's final book that Lucy had given Dinah to read. The book that described the ancient magic that had revived Severus, Sirius, and many others that had been killed in dark ways. They had not truly been dead, but kept themselves alive because someone still needed them. To trigger the magic that would revive them, though, someone in true mourning had to keep a vigil over a number of them who had been recently 'killed'. And that someone, right after the last battle, had been Lucy.

"Ah," she murmured, patting the back of her friend's head gently as if she were a small child. "It's okay. I didn't read the end. I couldn't go through it again. I talked it over with Harry enough when he was writing it. I don't know what he wrote about it but… There was no way forward from there for me. I could go back to my old job and my old life, but I couldn't go forward. I'd stopped that motion a long time ago and only let it move the barest portion because Voldemort had to be stopped. He had to be."

Dinah nodded, sniffling again, "That's what I said. I didn't even get that far, just... just to Sev dying... and the memories. I know when he comes back I'll be okay. But I know you were there. It just means a lot that it ended up being someone so close to me. So thank you," she whispered, squeezing tight.

"I'm glad to have done it," she murmured, "You know… I was actually… okay with the part where Sirius… I think it helped that I'd had Tonks take me down there and tell me everything that had happened. And I knew he wasn't alone. James and Lily…"

Dinah sighed, drawing back and nodding, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, "I guess it was different. He had been gone for two years, but he had died painlessly and knew he had people with him... you, and Harry... he'd already met you. I hadn't even had a chance yet to..."

"I know," Lucy assured her, "It made it easier for Sirius most assuredly. There was me and Harry and he knew we would be taken care of. That we'd be okay."

"But you weren't... really..." Dinah murmured, reaching for her hand.

"No," Lucy sighed, taking Dinah's hand in hers, "but he had no way of knowing that. You should keep reading though. Sirius assures me it turns out all right in the end."

She nodded, "I will. I can't stop now. You should, too. If you could read through his death scene, you can read the end, too. It was so important for you to be there, you know? And I'm sure Sirius would sit with you while you read it. Severus just did that for me and it helped immensely."

"Maybe I'll attempt it when you're done," Lucy grinned, "I hear there's even some levity at the end, featuring me having a rather loud sex dream with Sirius in my bed and Molly and Arthur on the other side of the door."

Dinah giggled, wiping away the last of her tears, "Oh, I hope he didn't give that much specific detail."

"I doubt it. He wasn't even there. Sirius assures me I didn't say anything too embarrassing."

"That's good," she said, craning her neck to look around both of Lucy's sides as if wondering if she'd come alone or not, "So, um... what brings you here?"

"Oh! I completely forgot… I just received this," Lucy said, holding out the letter from Gawain.

"Oh!" Dinah gasped, reaching out to take it, "From the Ministry?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded, "Well… from Gawain actually but he's writing on behalf of the Ministry."

"Gawain, huh?" Dinah teased, behaving a bit more like her normal self as she went to snuggle back into her husband's side and read the letter on the couch, "That ought to be fun for Sirius."

Lucy laughed, "Yes, exactly why he doesn't know yet. I left him with Tommy and Adara curled up together in her cot, Altair sleeping in the playpen, and the other two doing Merlin only knows what."

"I really can't imagine," Dinah smiled, as she and her husband put their heads together to read the letter, their expressions turning to thoughtful frowns. "Interesting..."

"In my opinion, that theft is highly suspicious. We need to go there and investigate and do so as soon as possible," Severus decided.

"Yes, I agree. It's highly convenient that Gawain sent along those four passes, isn't it?" she winked.

"Oh, we do all need to go. And I'm sure my parents will watch the children while we do so. I assume Umbridge was the one that pulled the Airaldi file?" Dinah turned to her husband.

"That would be my thought, yes," he agreed. "The other thefts... those are what concern me. If they have a suspect, it might just be the breakthrough and connection we need." He looked up at Lucy, "We will go the first evening you have available. Tomorrow would be preferable."

"That should be fine," Lucy nodded, "Though you might want to make sure Dahlia and Ed are willing and able to take the kids. We can always drop ours off with Molly and Arthur if need be but I think Owen at least would rather be with Maylene."

"It should be all right, since they're pensioners," Dinah agreed, "But I'll check with them. Meantime, why don't you respond to Gawain and tell him we'll be there tomorrow at their convenience. After dinner would be best, but I don't know if that would fit with their schedule. I'm not averse to canceling classes if need be, nor is Severus."

"Of course," she nodded, "Though you should be prepared to deal with a grumbly Sirius tomorrow then."

"That's all right. Sev will probably enjoy it," Dinah smiled, "After all, he hasn't met Dylan yet. I would never arrange such a thing, but I keep telling him we'll probably run into him one of these days just by coincidence," she said, turning to wink at her husband.

He scowled, "Not if I have any say about it."

"It's a good thing he's not a wizard working in the Ministry then. It makes the likelihood of running into each other much higher it seems."

"Mm," Dinah agreed, "Well, he is a pretty important person there. And being Professors at Hogwarts with a history for being involved in conflict and a penchant for trying to solve mysteries no matter how good or bad at it we may be puts us in contact with the Ministry quite often," she grinned.

"That's true," Lucy laughed, "Well, I should go and get that letter written, let you go back to… doing whatever you plan to entertain yourselves with while you're sans children," she winked.

Dinah formed a big smile and nodded, while Severus raised an anticipatory eyebrow at her; "I think I might be ready for a little adventure now, yes," she admitted, "But I really meant what I said before. I'm glad it was _you_ that brought them back if it couldn't be me."

"I'm glad too," Lucy nodded, closing the door behind her with a soft click and heading back to her rooms, knowing it would be a few hours at least before she and her husband could enjoy a jealousy-induced bout of loving.

* * *

><p>Dinah sighed, standing from the bed and walking to put the book she had just recently closed – Harry Potter's final autobiography – back into its temporary place on the bedroom bookshelf. She was filled with an odd mix of emotions: her lingering sadness over the things her husband had to endure, her happiness that the story had ended on a good note, describing for a bit the life that they had built together now, and just pure and utter relief that she was finally finished reading it and would never have to do so again. She wasn't sure if she could handle it.<p>

Making her way back into the living area, her gaze wandered around in search of her husband and did not need to go further than the sofa.

There he was . Her dearest, dearest Severus. Sitting and grading papers where she'd left him after they'd gotten the children to sleep, both going down quickly after coming back from a long day of fun at the Black's. They were curled up comfortably in their beds, peaceful expressions on their faces. Dinah could only dream they would never have to face any of the wars or difficulty that had plagued hers and Severus's life at various points.

Still, they had gotten through them. That was what mattered.

But she needed to be close again right now, and so she approached the couch and wandered around to settle in next to him, pressing against his side and watching as his bright red quill flew over the top parchment, marking even the smallest errors with large point losses. Unfair, to be sure, but a precious part of her husband's personality that she wouldn't dare try to change, Hufflepuff idealism or not.

But he stopped grading quickly due to her presence. He probably sensed she needed to talk to him. He was intuitive like that, Dinah thought as she watched him reach forward and place the parchment pile on the coffee table, laying the quill at an angle on top and turning a questioning gaze to her.

"I finished the book," she told him, her voice sounding oddly soft and subdued to her ears.

"You did, then?" he asked, his dark eyes softening with visible relief, although none but those who knew him best could truly sense the emotions beneath his stoic expression and tone.

Dinah knew him best.

"I did," she nodded, "It's over. I'm glad of it, but…"

"But?"

She heaved a sigh, staring down at her hands in her lap and forcing herself not to start wringing them or twiddling her thumbs. That was her nervous habit, and although she fell victim to it much less after working through her anxieties over being accepted into the Wizarding world, she still made the gestures from time to time. And when she did, Severus almost always placed his hands over hers to stop her. He was so good to her like that.

"For all the problems I had with it earlier, Harry ended it on a good note for us," she said, "He said that although he does not regularly associate with us anymore, he has heard that we are currently living a happy, peaceful life at Hogwarts and in the Muggle world with our friends and our children. And he put in plenty of good words for you. Enough to really counteract Rita Skeeter's book, I'm sure. We should owl him and thank him for it."

"Perhaps," her husband conceded, "I shall leave that up to you. You can convey both of our gratitude."

"Of course," she managed a little smile, not having expected him to say anything else. Severus Snape would not pen his own letter to Harry Potter, not at all. Well, not unless he really needed to, and he had Dinah for these things now.

He did have her…

"Severus," she murmured, reaching to take his hand into her own and look up into his face, "I know we're all right now, but… so many things in that book reminded me of how hard it was for you back then, and it still hurts. You know that you're not alone now, right? That I will always, always be by your side? No matter what Skeeter writes or what the Wizarding world ever decides to think."

His gaze softened more visibly this time, to the point where anyone could see how deeply he felt. His fingers wound around hers and he nodded, "You know I know that, Dinah. And you know how much it means to me."

"I know," she whispered, her chest tightening. She would not cry this time, she decided, but remembered with such fondness earlier today how he had stayed by her side, holding her throughout the entire time she finished the most difficult parts of the book. She was lucky. She was the luckiest woman alive to have this man as her husband. He was brilliant, beautiful, amazing, good, kind… there were too many words. He was just hers. Her Severus.

"My dearest," he murmured, lifting his hand to her cheek, his warm fingers brushing softly against her skin as she lowered her eyelashes, indulging in the comfort of his touch. "I love you," he assured her, "Would it be too much to request that you no longer read anything that will hurt you? I do not like to see your pain."

Dinah bit her lip and nodded, lifting her hand to slide it along his pale neck and into the folds of his silky black hair, watching his gaze lighten at her touch. He adored it when she touched him like this, although he very rarely expressed it in words. How could she deny the sincere request of someone who loved her this much? "I promise," she assured, lifting her lips to his to indulge in a light, sensual kiss, their lips barely parted and their tongues only brushing together briefly before she drew back to look into his deep eyes, "You mean so much to me. I… I haven't…" she trailed, feeling a twinge of something as she thought back on Harry's book. Something she had felt at various points while reading it but had been consciously trying to ignore. Was it guilt?

"Haven't what?" he pressed, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I… I'm afraid… afraid that I can't even imagine the things you've been through. The things you've done. Harry's book outlined it so well and in comparison to you I feel like I've had it easy. I know… It sounds stupid…" she trailed, not sure where this had come from or why she had just said all of it. They were true, though, the words that had come tumbling out of her mouth. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it, but now she knew. She felt guilty for not having had to endure as much as her husband. It just felt… wrong.

"You have faced many of your own challenges," he argued, shaking his head and tracing his thumb along her cheek and jawbone. "And I would never wish on you the things I had to endure. If you imagine that I feel in any way resentful-"

"No! No, of course not," she protested, "That's not what I mean. It's more about me than it is about you. Of course you wouldn't want me to endure any suffering and that means so much, but it's just not fair…" she trailed, fighting tears again.

"Dinah," he said, his voice soft but firm, "We cannot change the past. I endured what I did because you were always in my heart. I was on the path that ultimately led me to you and the life we have now. Your path led to the same place. I am only too _glad _that it didn't involve you suffering at the hands of Death Eaters or the Dark Lord."

"Even if it means all I did was hide in the Muggle world like a coward?" she murmured, and when he looked a little shocked and his eyes narrowed she quickly threw in, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm not going back to the way I was four years ago, I promise," she assured him, lifting her fingers into his hair once more, "I know I did what I could and that I'm not a coward. I just… want you to know how desperately I love you and wish I could erase every bad thing that ever happened… that I could prove to you that your suffering is my own even though I wasn't there for any of it…"

He sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his hand over the top of hers, leaning into her touch, "You do not need to prove anything to me," he assured her, lightly kissing her palm before opening his eyes again to stare straight into hers, "I feel your love every day and every moment. And I repeat, I am _happy_. There are no words that could describe how happy you make me and I don't want you to doubt for a moment that everything I endured until this point is one hundred percent worth it. To have you now…"

"I love you," she murmured, overwhelmed for a moment as she kissed him once more, melding their lips and bodies together as one. When they were finished and had caught their breath she looped her arm into his, entwining their fingers again, and kept her head nestled into his shoulder. She wanted to watch him grade some more, be soothed by the simple things in life, "Thank you," she whispered, "For everything."

"For you I would truly give everything," he assured her, pressing his lips into her hair, "And you are all right now? We can move forward?"

Dinah nodded, smiling and kissing his shoulder, "Of course. I'm fine. Let's move forward."

And she did mean that. She meant it with all her heart, as she kept herself snuggled up to her husband and watched him continue grading parchments, though now he would occasionally murmur sweet words into her ear and treat her to loving kisses as the night drew on. She herself let her hand wander up and down his arm, leaning up to nuzzle his neck from time to time, which usually led to little mini snog sessions. Their gestures kept them up later than they would normally stay, and she wondered if perhaps their distraction would show up in his grading, but it would be worth it and the students surely wouldn't mind an extra point here or there.

There was a part of Dinah that still felt guilty, though, about not having gone through as much as her husband. But she did her best to push that part aside. It was silly after all, anyway. They were happy. No one was suffering or enduring any pain anymore. Dinah had done everything she could and everything she needed to do after coming back to Hogwarts and rejoining her magical brethren. She had been involved in fights and battles too, just not as much as Severus. And what did it matter? Everything was fine _now_.

Yes, she was going to forget this worry she had in her heart. That would be the best thing for everyone.

* * *

><p>Mae sat curled up on the velvet, midnight blue couch in the Ravenclaw common room after Charms had gotten out early on Monday afternoon, her heartbeat quickening as she read sentence after sentence of her latest book on ghosts. The pursuit of searching for why Professor Binns and the others had seemed so drained as of late had proved an excellent distraction, and she finally felt like she had come upon something useful.<p>

"Have you heard of this?" she burst out, lifting her head after she finished the exciting paragraph and imploring her friends, Lysandra Hollingberry and Sharon Dent, who sat on the opposite end of the couch chatting.

"Heard of what?" Lysandra, a half blood, asked, with laughter still in her eyes from whatever she and Sharon had been talking about. Mae had been so engrossed in her book that she had no idea.

"I think I've gotten to the bottom of something that could explain why the ghosts have been so drained lately."

"Oh, you're still researching that?" Sharon, a pureblood, questioned, "That's interesting, and it's true that Helena hasn't been hanging around as much lately…" she turned to Lysandra for confirmation.

The other, blonde girl nodded, "I haven't seen her in ages. Last time I did she just muttered a hello and floated away. But then, she does get into those melancholy moods sometimes."

"Yeah, and Professor Binns isn't really that enthusiastic most of the time anyway," Sharon admitted, tossing her perfectly-groomed brunette hair behind her shoulder, "I mean, you say he's been drained but he doesn't really seem any different from usual in my opinion. He's always like that."

Mae shook her head, "You don't know him as well as I do. And Helena and I usually chat a lot but I haven't seen her much lately either. Something's not right."

Lysandra raised an eyebrow, "Are you trying to brag that you're better friends with the ghosts than the rest of us?"

"No!" Mae exclaimed, flushing in her embarrassment. Lysandra could be a little blunt sometimes, but she wasn't sure that she deserved that accusation, "Not at all, that's not what I mean. It's just… well here, look," she held the book out towards them and they looked at the pages but didn't appear half as interested as she thought they ought to be. Still, she went on in her explanation, "You see? It says here that there's been a documented phenomenon where ghosts have been able to borrow or drain each other's power. I don't know why any of the ghosts_ here_ would want to do that to the others unless the Bloody Baron… but that's not really fair to the Slytherins. He's not a bad ghost, just a little…"

"Insane?" it was Sharon's turn to raise an eyebrow, "Either way, Mae, if one of them is draining the power from the others what are we supposed to do about it? It's fascinating, but we've got N.E.W.T.s to study for this year, that sort of thing… I doubt that's going to be on any of the tests. How obscure is that book?" she asked, moving her hand to half-close it and try to look at the spine.

"That doesn't matter. And what's going on at Hogwarts is our business, isn't it?" Mae pressed, trying to get her friends to show interest. She wasn't as close to them as she was to some of the other girls but she had thought they'd be a little more enthusiastic about her discovery, "Plus, it says that magical researchers are trying to develop a potion or a spell to mimic the ability. So humans can drain power from the ghosts too."

"Why would they want to?" Lysandra asked, standing along with Sharon, "Well, we've got class, but don't let us stop you from reading up on that. See you later, all right?"

"Yeah… okay…" Mae sighed, waving to them as they disappeared out the exit and into the Hogwarts halls. That had been anti-climactic. She had made this exciting discovery, and yet nobody wanted to hear about it or discuss it with her.

Well, that was all right, she would just go and tell Andrew – Oh…

Rather than start to cry, which was what Mae wanted to do, she forced herself to think of what other person might be interested in hearing what she'd discovered. Begonia was in class right now, and she still wasn't speaking much to Lisette, and Helena was nowhere to be found half the time…

Dinah! She would go tell Dinah about this! Surely her older friend would be interested in something of this nature, given their own investigations into mysterious things at this time. And Mae could always talk to Dinah. Plus, she and Professor Snape had cancelled their classes for the afternoon along with the two Black professors, so maybe they were home taking care of the children in some capacity. If one of them was sick or something maybe Mae could offer to help out. At least it would give her something to do.

That decided, Mae stood from the couch and hurried out of the Ravenclaw common room and down the Hogwarts corridors towards the dungeons, stopping at the door to Professor Snape's office when she caught him and his wife emerging from it with the children and closing the door behind them.

"Auntie Mae-Mae!" Maylene shrieked, leaping into her arms as per normal and knocking the ghost book from her grasp so it clunked onto the stone below.

"Hello, Mae," Dinah beamed, holding little Tommy's hand in her own, but handing him off to Professor Snape so she could approach her, "What brings you here?"

"I…" Mae began, out of breath from her hurrying and from holding the heavy five-year-old in her arms. She kissed the little girl's head and put her down so she could lift the book she had dropped from the floor, "I was researching and I found something interesting. I don't think it connects to your problem but I thought maybe you'd be interested… it's really rather fascinating," she tried, turning to Professor Snape to see if he looked interested. He did, but he also looked distracted. Mae felt her heart sink a little, "It's about the ghosts. Seems they've been sort of tired lately and I think I might know why," she tried, turning back to Dinah.

"Really? I did notice Binns was floating rather still in the staff meetings lately but he never said anything," Dinah said, tilting her head in interest, "But he told you the ghosts have been tired lately? You know, come to think of it, Myrtle's been hounding me less than usual as well."

"Yes!" Mae exclaimed, starting to hope again that she could have an intellectually stimulating, distracting conversation with her friends, "You see, it says in this book…" she began, starting to open it.

"Oh… I'm sorry. We don't have time right now," Dinah said, holding her hand out to stop Mae and exchanging a regretful glance with her husband, "We've got an appointment to discuss this issue of the threatening letters at the Department of Mysteries and can't be late."

"And we're going to Grandmum and Granddad's!" Maylene added cheerfully, pointing to herself and her brother.

"Ah..." Mae forced a smile even though she felt her throat close a little at the rejection, "That's nice. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun. Sorry if this was a bad time..." she apologized, looking from Professor Snape to Dinah.

"No, I do want to hear it. I'm sorry we have to leave," Dinah said, her sympathetic tone indicating that her usual empathy had captured at least a little of how bad Mae felt; "I'd take you with us but I think it's too short notice to get permission from Professor McGonagall at this time."

"No, I'm sure it is. I just hoped that I could talk to somebody about it, but that's fine. Maybe some other time..." she trailed, closing the book and staring down at her shoes.

"You do realize that you could speak with-"

"Shush!" Dinah cut off her husband, and Mae looked up in time to see her give him a light, reprimanding swat. He had been about to press the Andrew issue, surely. The whole thing had seemed to make him impatient as of late, and although Mae knew it was his way of showing he cared she was glad his wife hadn't let him finish his sentence. "Why don't we talk tomorrow?" Dinah suggested, "We'll be at my parents late tonight, but any time tomorrow that works for you, I promise we'll be available."

"Thanks," Mae smiled, grateful that she still seemed to have a friend in this world, although tomorrow seemed like an eternity from now. "I hope you find what you're looking for at the Ministry. Let me know."

"We'll keep you updated, of course," Dinah said, leaning to give her a brief hug, "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

"I will," she lied, forcing a bright smile until the Snapes had disappeared around a corner. Once they were gone she sighed, turning around and clutching the book to her chest as she headed back towards Ravenclaw Tower. She knew she'd be able to talk to Dinah tomorrow but she really needed someone right _now _and she had no one, she thought, wiping away the tears that had started to form in her eyes.

There was nothing she could do, though. Nowhere she could go but back to her bunk and curl up in bed for the rest of her break, hoping tomorrow came quickly and hoping even more strongly that somehow she would make up with Andrew soon and they would be okay again.

Right now, though, everything felt dark and empty.


	22. A Name

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A Name

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><p>"Well, this brings back memories," Dinah smiled at Lucy and Sirius when they emerged from the phone booth that led down into the underground halls of the Ministry of Magic. It seemed that Gawain was going to meet them near where the guards were stationed and lead them personally through the areas in the Department of Mysteries that were of concern. And poor jealous Sirius did <em>not <em>look pleased.

"Mmm, yes," Lucy nodded, "And some not so pleasant ones too."

"Does he _have_ to escort us? You know your way around and Arthur, Tonks, or Remus could take us around if someone has to do it," Sirius grumbled.

"They could but I think Severus would be less pleased than you currently are," Lucy retorted.

"Oh, he could handle it," Dinah laughed, taking her husband's arm even though he was scowling, "But we don't want to disappoint our dear Gawain when he so nicely offered. I'm just glad Severus can join us this time."

"Yes," Lucy nodded, "and it's so much nicer now that we all get along."

"You're starting to sound like Dinah," Sirius teased.

"It _is _nice, isn't it?" Dinah sighed, beaming at him and not minding one iota if she sounded like an idealist.

"Mm. Lovely. Now shall we go? We do not want to be late in meeting Sirius's favorite person," her husband said, lightly teasing the other man and obviously enjoying that he was able to do so.

"I hope Maylene keeps you up for the next week," Sirius grumbled.

"Well, I guess we spoke too soon on that whole 'getting along' thing," Dinah told Lucy, laughing as they made their way over to their meeting place.

"Everyone made it okay, I see," Gawain greeted, hugging both women and awkwardly extending his hand to the men.

"Yes, thank you," Dinah told Lucy's old flame warmly as Severus gave his hand a brief shake. She wondered if Sirius would do the same; "And thank you very much for allowing us the opportunity to come investigate. We have been receiving some disturbing letters as of late and think we have some leads, but they all lead to the Department of Mysteries, and it's so difficult to get permission to explore that area."

Sirius did take the other man's hand, though he appeared to grip it a little harder than necessary.

"Yes, it can be," Gawain said with a slight wince.

"How is Felicity?" Lucy asked, inquiring about the woman she had encouraged Gawain to ask out and whom he had eventually married.

"Ready for the baby to arrive," he answered, looking quite pleased with himself, "The Ministry strongly encouraged her to start her maternity leave a couple days ago, so she's home resting."

"Oh, how lovely," Dinah smiled, not having known that his wife was pregnant. She wasn't sure whether Lucy had known either. "Congratulations."

"Oh! Yes, please pass on our congratulations. I had no idea," Lucy admitted.

"It's quite all right. There was no way for you to know, really," Gawain said graciously, "Now, if you'll all just follow me."

Dinah and the rest of their group followed Gawain down the long halls of the Ministry of Magic, finally squeezing their way into the small lift that would take them many more levels underground to the Department of Mysteries.

"I would like to know more about this alleged theft you have had in the Department," Severus suddenly demanded when they were still all squished together in the lift, his voice ringing out over them. Dinah kept herself pressed up against him rather than squishing up with Gawain, and turned to see the other man's response; "Your letter," Severus continued, "stated that you thought you had some idea of what we were looking for, but that specific information was stolen? Exactly what is it you believe we were looking for?"

Gawain didn't appear _too _intimidated by Severus, which said something for how bold he was, even if Lucy had found him a bore to be with. At least it meant he was well-suited for his job. "Lucy's note said that you were looking for information about some unnamed materials related to a new discovery," he answered, "There is one particular thing that has been a bit of a buzz around the Department as of late. Unfortunately, the person who was largely responsible for studying it, we believe, was the thief."

"You mean it was an internal theft?" Dinah questioned, her interest peaked.

"Yes," he admitted, as the lift stopped and opened, finally letting them out into a spacious environment and relatively fresh air.

"How is that possible?" Lucy asked, "The Ministry has all sorts of safeguards against such things. You helped put some of them in place."

"We are not proud of it," Gawain grimaced, looking like his pride had been hurt a bit. "That said, because of those safeguards, an internal theft is really the _only _type of theft that would be possible."

"These safeguards came into place after the battle in the Department of Mysteries I assume," Sirius snorted.

Dinah saw Lucy give her husband a little jab in the ribs with her elbow. "Be nice," she hissed.

"Yes," Gawain nodded, "and more safeguards were added after Voldemort's defeat. Both times there were intrusions into the Ministry that made those of us who had not sided with Voldemort realize that something must be done."

"Either way," Dinah interjected, hoping to stave off any more drama, "How did this person manage to commit the theft and what exactly was the information that they've stolen?"

"The suspect is one of our department researchers," Gawain explained as he led them into a dark room filled with shelves of books and stacks of paper, "A rather disagreeable fellow in my opinion, but very attached to his work, which he did largely in this room. A few months previously he was set to go on a research sabbatical and left as normal. However, the next time anyone else entered this room many of our important documents were missing, mostly those pertaining to his research."

"He was not allowed to take those with him?" Dinah had to ask, fingering a stack of parchment near her but not really looking at the words on the page.

"We have strict guidelines detailing what can be taken and what cannot. This individual took nearly everything," Gawain said, "I do not know how."

"Normally, copies would have to be made and the originals would stay here," Lucy murmured, running her fingers along the spines of the books, peering at the titles. "These seem to be all out of order, or not in any semblance of order rather."

"This individual was unique," Gawain replied, again looking as though he found even talking about the person particularly distasteful, "He had an organization system that was very much his own. Far be it for any of us to understand it."

"Does 'this individual' have a name?" Severus demanded, raising an eyebrow.

Gawain hesitated, and then sighed, "I suppose it can do no harm to tell you. His name is Ambrose Ramkin."

"'A'..." Dinah murmured, "His name begins with an A."

"Of course it does," Lucy sighed, "If it didn't this would all be clear cut and we'd be safe at home with the children right now."

"The name sounds vaguely familiar," Severus pondered, "How old is this Ambrose Ramkin? Did he attend Hogwarts? What house?" he plied Gawain with questions.

"I believe he was a Slytherin. He appears to be in his late forties or early fifties, if I had to hazard a guess. I could find an exact age for you but that would involve looking into his personal records."

"It doesn't matter," Severus waved that off, "I believe I have heard of him. He graduated shortly before we entered Hogwarts. We being Sirius and myself, I mean," he told Dinah, glancing over at Sirius.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded, "If I remember right he was a quiet kid that didn't hardly talk to anyone. Bella was always trying to seduce him. It was all we heard about for a while."

Dinah found herself being rarely grateful that Sirius had grown up in a family so in tune with pureblood elitism and the Dark Arts; "Well, at least we have somewhat of a lead now. The question is what we do with this information. Do you know where Ramkin is?"

"If we did we would have brought him in for questioning by now," Gawain admitted, "But we cannot decipher his location. It is as though he has disappeared."

"What did his research entail?" Severus questioned.

Gawain sighed, "Follow me." He beckoned and led them down between two rows of shelves, talking as they went; "The unfortunate fact is that his research was not yet published. Therefore-"

"Very few people knew all the details," Severus finished his sentence grimly.

"A great many people could know about it depending on how far along he was in getting it published," Lucy countered while Sirius seemed to be trying to tell Dinah something with his eyes.

Dinah squinted at Sirius and shook her head, trying to tell him that she didn't understand. Meanwhile, Gawain was answering both Lucy and Severus, "It is a mix between the two, actually. Most knew of his broadest goals and there was great hype surrounding his potential 'great discoveries' because he bragged about them so much. But the finer details are unknown by most, save perhaps some of his correspondences. He did have... 'fans', you could say. They sent him letters. But I don't know how much he revealed to them."

"What?" Dinah finally asked, ducking into a shadowed area with Sirius. She didn't want to let Gawain get too far ahead because she wanted to ask him about whether Andre Airaldi was one of Ramkin's 'fans', though she had an idea he almost certainly was.

"Robards can't find Ramkin, but Cissy might be able to help. For some reason he and Bella stayed in contact after they left school. If she told anyone anything about the guy or how to contact him it'd have been Cissy. You might consider talking to her again."

Dinah smiled, "Thanks. That's brilliant. Of course we'll do that. We need all the leads we can get and I don't know if Gawain is going to be able to tell us much more..." she admitted, knowing that Sirius would be only too happy to discuss Gawain's downfalls.

Sirius snorted, "I won't be surprised."

She giggled, grabbing his arm and pulling him back into the light, "Come on. We've got to catch up with the others," she said, hurrying forward so she could match her pace with Severus again; "Gawain, you still haven't told us. What _did _Ramkin's research involve?"

"The most I really know is that it involved a fairly new frontier in ghost research," the former Auror and current Ministry official replied.

"Ghost research?" Dinah asked, surprised, stopping when Severus did rather suddenly, else she would have run into him.

"Mae," her husband murmured, his brow furrowing.

"You don't think it could possibly be connected?" she asked, recalling the distressed Mae Yates that had appeared at their door right before they left Hogwarts a couple of hours ago, bearing information she had wanted to share about the ghosts at school experiencing an odd affliction of fatigue.

"It is possible," her husband acknowledged with a nod, "However unlikely it may be, it warrants further investigation. Since all of Minerva's searches have indicated this person is not at Hogwarts, if he did afflict our ghosts with something it must have been from a distance."

She frowned, nodding and turning to address Gawain again, "Do you know any more details about his ghost research? And do you have any idea if one of his 'fans' was a young man by the name of Andre Airaldi?"

"Airaldi," Gawain frowned, "Yes, the family you mentioned we look into and whose file was pulled. I do not know off the top of my head, but if there is anything that we have here that might be of use to you it will be in Ramkin's desk," he said, beckoning them forward out of the row of shelves and into a small nook at the back of the room where a desk sat shrouded in darkness and covered with papers; "Everything he left behind is still here, although I fear not much of it will be useful. And I do not know any more about his ghost research myself. Perhaps the notes and letters here will give you an indication of the identity of a 'fan' that may know more. That is the most I can do for you right now, save looking into his personal file."

"Then we will have to request you do that," Severus decided; "Is it within your power to do so?"

"If I pull the right strings," Gawain grimaced under Dinah's husband's piercing gaze. It was obviously clear to the man that Severus's 'request' was more of a demand. "Perhaps it will be easier given his identity as our prime theft suspect."

"Oh, don't look at him like that, Gawain. You know we'll need to see his file. Eventually these threats will spread to others if he's not taken care of soon. Honestly, I'm surprised the Law Enforcement Squad isn't more concerned about this," Lucy huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Gawain turned his gaze to Lucy, looking a bit agitated or put off by her statement as he drew his head back a bit to regard her with a narrowed gaze, "As his research is still so unknown and the materials he stole were mostly his own we did not see any point in placing this at the top of our list of concerns at this time. And we were unaware of his 'threats' until you contacted us. But if you must have the file, I will get it," he conceded.

Meanwhile, Severus had used a silent summoning charm to extract all envelopes from the desk and had been thumbing through them, taking certain ones out of the pile and keeping them in his right hand. Now, he shoved the smaller selection of envelopes into Gawain's grasp, "And the files of all of those individuals as well. The return addresses," he clarified.

"I will do what I can. Many of these contacts are private citizens," Gawain said, backing off a bit again.

It was good to have Sev on their side, Dinah thought; "As much information as you can possibly obtain legally will do. If we need to investigate further... well, I'm sure we'll find a way." There were methods, she knew, contacts they had that could get around the law. The Malfoys, perhaps, if it came to that. They were already going to speak to them about Ramkin. But maybe they wouldn't need to resort to any illegal activity. She certainly hoped not.

"I will do what I can," he repeated, and then sighed, "Please feel free to stay and look among his belongings as long as you need to. I do have other things to attend to, but if you have any further requests of me I will be in my office."

"Thank you," Dinah said, offering him her hand, "We do appreciate your helping us get this far. Truly," she assured while Severus only made a grunt of acknowledgement. One of her key roles in their duo was taking charge of social interaction moments and ensuring they remained polite. It could be a challenging job with Severus as a husband but somebody had to do it.

"Yes. Thank you for getting us access here and helping us with the other stuff too," Lucy said, while Sirius gave a similar grunt to Severus's.

"You're very welcome," Gawain said, smiling at both women before giving both men an uneasy nod. He looked back at Lucy, "If I don't see you before you leave, good luck with your family. I'm glad to know everyone remains healthy and happy."

"Thank you. Good luck with yours as well," Lucy smiled.

"Thank you," he smiled, "I appreciate it. And the same goes for you, Professor Snape," he nodded at Dinah.

She thanked him with a bright smile as Lucy had and then he was on his way. Turning back to where her husband examined the papers on the desk, she asked, "Does anything else look promising?"

"There are some drafts of letters but nothing that contains much information," he said, all business as his eyes narrowed down at the particular parchment he held in his hand; "Here we have the first few sentences of a letter. It appears our Ambrose Ramkin is an indecisive individual that feels a need to start twenty drafts of the same letter and toss them aside each time. We should examine the books he has, especially those he has kept close to his desk. And _someone _should investigate the crumpled parchments in the wastebasket."

Dinah raised an eyebrow as she hid a chuckle, "'_Someone_' being not you, correct?"

"Mm," he agreed, brushing his fingers lightly against her cheek. It was small gestures like this, even in serious moments, that always reminded her how lucky she was to have Severus.

She smiled at him, "Well, then, shall we get started?"

"Yes, I suppose," he sighed, lowering his hand and grabbing another parchment which he scowled at, "Though my hopes for finding anything useful continue to dwindle."

"I suppose you'd like _me _to go through the trash?" Sirius grumbled, still apparently in a bad mood from his contact with Lucy's ex-boyfriend.

"Did I specifically say you?" Severus demanded, raising an eyebrow of his own at Sirius and looking properly offended as though the implication had not been there. But really, it was more logical that he would have been thinking of Sirius over Dinah or Lucy for that job. "

"I thought it was implied. Dogs do like to root through the trash sometimes, you know," Sirius snorted.

"Well, if you say that you _like _it, who am I to argue with you?" Severus smirked, triumph in his gaze as Dinah bit her lip to quell her laughter.

"You asked for it," Lucy giggled when Sirius sent a look her way.

"Fine, fine," he huffed, plopping down on the ground near the bin and methodically starting to go through all the rubbish.

Dinah grabbed a book from a nearby shelf and settled down, thumbing through the pages, "It seems he hasn't made any notes or anything to help guide us. No dog-eared pages, no bookmarks. Lucy, you should be proud."

"Well at any other time I probably would be. Markings would have been helpful right now, though," Lucy sighed, settling down in the desk chair.

"You're right," Dinah heaved a sigh of her own, grabbing another book and skimming through it but only coming to the same conclusion, "None here, either."

Severus shook his head, "No. I am afraid this continuing search will likely get us nowhere. Infernal Ministry. One would think they could be more helpful, but this Ramkin is a step ahead of them as well. And how are we to find out _why_?" he snarled, "This is yet another frustrating dead end."

"Well, I wouldn't say so," Dinah tried to be diplomatic, closing the book and looking up at her husband, "After all, we didn't know as much when we came in as we do now. And at least we have a name we can associate with those horrible letters and not just an ambiguous 'A'."

"Mm," he admitted with a slight nod, his tone grim, "We do have a name."


	23. Home Again

**A/N: This chapter contains a mature love scene, which starts at the phrase "When they took a breath Dinah laughed and shook her head" and continues through until the scene change. Thanks to everyone for their reviews so far! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE<p>

Home Again

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><p>"Did you find anything useful?" Mum asked, leading Maylene and Owen by the hand, having plucked them from upstairs and interrupted their playtime to return them to their parents so that they could head back to Hogwarts and get them into their own beds.<p>

"A bit, Mother, though not much," Severus admitted, taking the grumbling Maylene's hand while Lucy took Owen's. Severus had begun calling Dinah's parents 'Mother' and 'Father' within two years after their marriage upon their insistence. It had taken him some time to get used to, but now Dinah was happy to say that he did so easily. And she was grateful that their extended family got along so well; she had promised Severus a long time ago that he could share her family and she intended for that to be a perfect promise. Having this sort of normal life now made him very happy, she knew.

"Mummy, I tired," Owen mumbled, as Lucy lifted him so that he could rest his head on her shoulder. "Tair and Dara and Tommy felled asleep."

"Yes, the young ones were out over an hour ago," Dinah's father admitted, carrying Adara back to them first and handing her to Sirius before he and Mum went to fetch the other two. Altair was still out like a light in Mum's arms but Tommy shifted and his eyes opened a bit when Dad handed him to Dinah.

"Go home?" her little boy mumbled, curling up against her shoulder.

"Yes, baby, we're going home," Dinah murmured.

"Dara still sleeping," he told her, "I saw."

"Little babies need lots of sleep," Lucy said, gently running a hand over his head before shifting to take Altair with her free arm from Mum. "See if you have another you can learn how to carry two at a time. Though usually I've got the younger two in my arms and O clinging to my leg," she teased.

Dinah chuckled, "And you've even got the heavier two right now. I'm impressed. But I think two is enough for us. Especially with our little handful here," she smiled, nodding at Maylene.

"I'm not tired," her daughter said defiantly.

"Of course you're not," Severus agreed, patting her on the head, "Perhaps you shall stay up all night with us."

"Mm'kay," she yawned as he chuckled.

"I wanna stay up too!" Owen whined, lifting his head to look for his little friend.

"Not if you wake up the other two you're not," Sirius grumbled, "and you can only stay up if you're staying with Aunt Di and Uncle Sev."

"I am," Owen nodded, keeping his voice much quieter now, "Someone's gotta help May."

Dinah giggled, "He can stay if he wants but I have a feeling they'll all be asleep by the time we get back into Hogwarts. Even May."

"We'll see," Lucy grinned, "Thanks for watching them, Dahlia. I hope they weren't too much trouble for you and Ed."

"Oh, no more than usual," Dinah's father teased; "No, they're a joy to have."

"Always," her mother smiled, and then frowned, "Though I worry so much about you all in the Wizarding world, with these horrible threatening letters..."

"Hogwarts is the safest place for them to be," Severus assured her, "We have no idea where this man could be; whether he's in London or nearby or even in Britain... but at Hogwarts they are safe."

"Yes," Lucy nodded in agreement with Severus, "Even Voldemort took his time planning his attack on Hogwarts… I don't know if that helps you feel any better about us being there but…"

She sighed, "I know. And I trust your judgment. But with this monster out to get you both, I still worry a bit."

"He _is _a monster, isn't he?" Dinah sighed, shaking her head as Tommy shifted against her shoulder again, though she was fairly certain he was back asleep by now; "There are no reasons for his actions. Especially if he really _is _trying to start another war..." she sighed again when Severus placed a gentle hand on the small of her back. She wasn't really worried so much anymore, but the whole thing was draining. Why couldn't Ambrose Ramkin or Andre Airaldi or both men leave them alone?

"Monsters?" Owen asked, lifting his head and rubbing his eyes to look around, "I can help May get rid of them. She doesn't like monsters, but I'm a big boy."

"Yes, he's good at that," May smiled.

Dinah chuckled, but inwardly chastised herself for using the word 'monster' in front of the children. At least the little ones were asleep but she didn't want to confuse May or Owen about what was going on. She had hoped the children would remain well in the dark about things. It was safer that way, especially as this still might not pan out as anything worse than a bunch of insidious letters; "You're a good young man, Owen. We should get back to Hogwarts, though," she said, stepping forward to give both of her parents brief hugs good-bye.

"I'd give you both a hug but…" Lucy grinned, inkling her head towards each of the boys, "We'll see you again soon.

"Bye, Grandmum… Pops," Owen said, waving, "I had fun."

Dinah's aging parents chuckled affectionately at Owen and came forward to say good-bye to the children once more, kissing and hugging them all before bidding a final farewell to the adults and they were sent on their way, Apparating back to Hogwarts with the children and making their way down the halls towards home. They stopped at Lucy's rooms first, and by this time Owen was once again asleep and Maylene had started to drift herself to the point where Severus had lifted her into his arms.

"He's gonna stay up with me..." she managed, "Right, Daddy?"

"Absolutely," he murmured, kissing the top of her head and shaking his head 'no' at Lucy, indicating that she was in the clear to take the sleeping Owen into his own bed for the night.

"Now, don't lie to your daughter," Dinah giggled, knowing full well that Maylene would not remember any of this in the morning.

"Some other time, I'm sure," Lucy grinned, "We'll see you all tomorrow. I may be an expert at carrying two little boys but they do get heavy after a while and I'm sure they'd sleep better in their own beds. I'm exhausted myself and I'll be up again in a few hours with Three."

Dinah smiled and nodded as they bid the Blacks goodnight. Lucy had been accustomed to calling her children by the number of their birth while she was still pregnant with them, and it usually took her a few months after they were born to fully break the habit. Thus, Adara was sometimes still referred to as 'Three'.

Maylene was, for all intents and purposes, asleep when they got her back to her bedroom, Severus gently placing her into her bed and murmuring a "Good night, dear girl," before kissing her on the forehead as Dinah used her free hand that wasn't holding Tommy to tuck her in.

"Mmm... Woewo..." Maylene murmured her baby name for Owen as her eyes closed and she curled up, looking so adorably innocent in sleep for the firecracker she was while awake.

Dinah smiled and leaned over, smoothing her daughter's black hair and kissing her goodnight as well, murmuring a little "Love you," in her ear before heading with Severus into the next room to put Tommy to bed. Their little boy didn't even move when they set him down and covered him up, kissing him goodnight as Severus watched him with a thoughtful sigh. One Dinah was quite familiar with by now.

"Stop worrying about his nose," she said with a gentle laugh, leaning in to kiss her own husband's long nose and seeing his gaze soften when she did so. No one was ever going to mistreat her family for any of their features, no matter how unconventional, if she had anything to say about it.

"I am sorry," he admitted as they stood up to leave the room, taking her hand into his own, "It is not a concern that is so easy to control."

"Don't I know it. I've been trying to stop you for three years now," she teased, laying her head on his shoulder as they walked, "But I promise... no one will ever mistreat him for his nose. Not so long as I'm around."

"I am too lucky to have you. We both are," Severus murmured as they changed into their nighttime robes and settled into seated positions in bed. "What did you make of this evening's findings?" he asked with a frown, changing the subject.

She sighed, staring down at her hands on the comforter, and shrugged, "Well, we have a name. I know I keep returning to that but at least it's something. I want to hold onto the _something_. You know?"

"Mm. Indeed. Perhaps Robards will discover useful information about the other individuals on the envelopes and inform us. And Ramkin's book collection was impressive but with no markings or guidance and no time to read them..."

"Yeah, but we wrote down all or most of their titles. We can try to find as many as we can in the library and read them at our leisure, though I don't know how much 'leisure' time we'll have if this Ramkin decides to take some sort of action."

"We can only hope that he will not. And we do have some of the books at Spinner's End as well, I believe."

"We do? That's good," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning against him, thinking about how strong and comfortable he was and also about their other home in industrial Britain, where her husband kept probably seventy-five percent of the massive collection of books he had both purchased and inherited over the years.

"Oh, and another thing," he began, his tone a bit grating and making Dinah lift her head to see what had him so agitated, "I would _like _to know what you were doing in a dark corner with Black while Robards was showing us around Ramkin's office."

"Oh," Dinah found herself blushing, biting her lip to stifle a giggle. She had forgotten to mention her little talk with Sirius about the Malfoys, but she should have known her observant darling wouldn't have missed her pulling him aside for that brief moment; "Are you jealous? You even called him 'Black'... it's been a good long time since you've done _that_."

"I would simply like to know what you were doing," he repeated, not bothering to validate her comments with a response.

"Oh, snogging like wild sixth years, don't you know?" she laughed.

"You are not amusing me, Dinah," he snarled.

She shook her head, "He was trying to tell me something with his _eyes _... as though I could interpret that somehow... and so I pulled him aside to find out what he had to say. He simply wanted to tell me that the Malfoys would probably know a good deal about Ramkin, given Bella's apparent attachment to him. Before Tommy, of course," she said, this time referring to the 'Tommy' that was Voldemort's good half.

"Of course," Sev agreed, "And we will speak with the Malfoys. However, I must insist that you no longer duck into dark corners with Sirius Black, no matter how innocent your actions may be."

"Oh, honestly!" Dinah burst into giggles, climbing into his lap and looping her arms around his neck, his jealousy and general snarlyness starting to turn her on, "You can't truly be jealous of Sirius; you _know _nothing could possibly happen between him and I. That would be utterly ridiculous, so I really have no idea what you're carrying on for."

"It is simply still bothersome to witness," her husband huffed, "I do not like seeing you in shadowy nooks with other men. Least of all someone who up until very recently always insisted on _flaunting _his romantic prowess and ability to attract all women to-" he cut off when she kissed him.

When they took a breath Dinah laughed and shook her head, "Severus Snape I love _you _and you know you're the only man I could ever want. But if you are still going to insist on getting all excited over this jealousy of a man that, although you still won't admit it, you _do _consider a friend, I see that my only remaining choice is to find a way to relax you," she said, lowering her eyelids and reaching down to place her left hand between his legs.

"Mm!" he gasped, shifting his legs around and staring at her, "Dinah..."

"Shush," she ordered, smiling and beginning to massage him in that area. It did not take very long at all for him to grow hard with desire, "Don't you want to be relaxed?"

"Merlin, Dinah..." he trailed, as she scooted back so that she could undo his trousers, spreading his robes and trailing kisses down his chest before she took him into her mouth. He groaned and leaned back, allowing her all the access she needed to pleasure him with her lips and tongue, and only a very minimal bit of her teeth. "You are... so talented..." he managed through his gasps and moans of pleasure, noises that made her wet with desire especially as his hands crept under her robes and slid fervently along her back and bum while she worked him down below. But it would be her turn soon enough.

With a jerk and a final groan he released into her mouth, his muscles relaxing as he caught his breath. Swallowing, Dinah lifted her head, sat back up, and leaned in to kiss him, "Your turn," she murmured.

"God, Dinah, after that I will give you anything," he growled, leaning in to capture her lips, his mouth quickly moving to her neck and to nip lightly at her ear. His hand crept between her legs and she groaned, squeezing them together and rubbing herself against him, willing his fingers to slip inside of her, which they did and instantly began working their magic. Her moans now matched the moans he had given her a moment ago and she pressed her body to his, moving rhythmically against him and fighting with the competing desires to make this tingling warmth last forever and to reach climax. The second desire quickly won out though and she let out a strangled gasp of pleasure when her muscles spasmed from his stimulation and he granted her release, his fingers slipping out of her as they collapsed against each other, beads of sweat clinging to their skin and their labored breathing matched.

"You... still jealous?" Dinah panted, grinning at him.

"About what...?" he managed, his eyes dancing with laughter.

She burst into giggles again, her heart warming as she rubbed her face into his neck, "I love you."

"And I you," he smiled as they laid down and got under the covers, his arms pulling her tight against him and wrapping her up in warmth as they closed their eyes, "And I you."

* * *

><p>Mae wandered glumly around the halls of Ravenclaw Tower early Tuesday morning, her ghost book open in front of her as she read and re-read that part that was most interesting to her but that no one else wanted to hear about. She knew she shouldn't be reading while walking but she was too depressed to care and thus going at such a slow pace that it probably wouldn't hurt much if she ran into anything. And she wasn't sure she cared much about that either.<p>

In a moment, a wispy figure between some of the columns out on the balcony got her attention. "Helena!" she exclaimed.

"Mae?" the ghost asked softly, stopping and flying back in through the windows to the hall Mae was walking in, her movement only causing the tiniest 'whoosh' noise as she went through the glass. It started a question forming in Mae's mind.

"I haven't seen you in ages," Mae told her, not asking anything just yet. First she had to make sure she could get her sometimes flighty friend to stick around long enough to answer her.

"I am sorry," Helena sighed, fading in and out of focus, "I have been very tired, as you know... we all have been. Even the Bloody Baron, or so Peeves has told me."

"You don't associate much with him yourself, do you?" Mae mused, "The Bloody Baron? You are the only two ghosts that don't... Then again, didn't he...?" she trailed, hoping her sudden rambling thoughts weren't going to make Helena run away.

Instead, she seemed too tired to do anything and simply responded with, "He murdered me, yes."

"But then killed himself out of remorse. You allowed Harry Potter to publish that in his book."

"It is not a secret," she sighed, "It is only something I do not often choose to talk about."

"Yet you both ended up haunting Hogwarts together. It's such a strange and tragic story..." Mae sighed, thinking of her own tragic story that was currently being played out. Though thankfully not tragic enough to include murder. Plus, she sort of liked that Helena was opening up to her a little, helping to feel like she was close to someone again, even just a bit.

"I bear him little remaining ill will; so much time has passed," Helena admitted; "He loved me in the only way he knew how, I suppose. But he can still barely look at me. Not that I mind, you understand," she added, although Mae wondered if maybe she did a little bit. "At any rate, you look a bit tired yourself."

"Yeah..." Mae sighed, staring down at her shoes, "I haven't been sleeping much."

"Because of Andrew," her ghost friend said, her soft, tired voice sympathetic, "Again, I am sorry for being so absent as of late. Do you want to talk over things?"

"I don't know. There's not much to say except that we aren't really speaking to each other and-" she whimpered and swiped at her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and forcing herself relax and calm down before she looked back up at Helena, "I've been trying to distract myself, though," she declared, holding up the book.

"Yes," Helena said, floating close to peer down at the pages with Mae, "Binns said you were thinking of investigating the phenomenon of our affliction. Though if the information in this paragraph you have here is correct it cannot be what is happening to us. All of us have the affliction so none could possibly be stealing power from the others. Unless it is a human doing so, but this research appears quite obscure."

Mae nodded. At least someone was showing some interest in her findings. It was nice to have a ghost friend but a ghost friend couldn't give you a hug when you really needed one, she thought glumly, glad when her intellectual mind decided to take that thought and connect it to her previous question. Now, she thought, she could ask it. "Helena, what exactly _is _a ghost? Myrtle makes a splash when she dives into toilets, you made a sound when you were coming through the glass just now... there must still be some sort of physical component to your bodies, right?"

Helena sighed, "The details are very complex, but as I understand it... when a witch or wizard chooses to become a ghost they keep their body alive in a very partial way. Their... our... consciousness remains fully intact in the same way as when we were alive, with no changes in our personalities or our understanding of the universe, and our bodies decay but some of the cells, some of the particles, they remain with us. The human body is made up of many cells and elemental particles, correct? It is as though... ninety-five percent of them decay and return to the earth, but the remaining five percent we keep with us, floating around us so that we resemble ourselves, but the spaces between them are much bigger and thus we can move through things."

"I see... that makes sense," Mae admitted, her eyes wide with wonder. This was truly fascinating. "Some Muggle ghost researchers believe in a spiritual energy called 'plasma' but it makes more sense that it would just be the same things that existed in the first place, just held together in a different way."

"It is the strength of our magic that allows us to do so," Helena nodded, "And why Muggles cannot. Although perhaps Muggle ghosts exist, too, and are formed in different ways. They do have stories about them."

"It's true," Mae agreed, "But if there is any truth to their ghosts they are not as strong or... _intact _as magical ghosts. It truly makes sense."

"Yes. We only influence the physical realm in minor ways. When Myrtle dives into a bath she does not make a splash, but when she concentrates her particles together to fit into a small toilet bowl their strength is enough to move the water."

"Brilliant..." Mae murmured, so glad to have her mind occupied again, "And so then, what is this ability to usurp ghost power? Does the usurper steal some of the particles? And why does it make you tired?"

"If we need more magical strength to hold together what remains, that might be it," Helena said, looking about ready to fall asleep.

"Yes, or maybe it is your magic itself that is stolen, requiring you to use more of it to hold together what is normally there. Our ability to use magic is independent of our bodies in many ways, after all. We use them to channel the magic, but..." she sighed, "This worries me. Does it worry you? If too much of your power is stolen, will it... can it... kill you? Force you to move to the other side or whatever?"

"I certainly hope not," Helena managed, starting to fade in and out again and only making Mae worry more, "We ghosts have chosen to remain here because we want to be here. Many of us feel we need to stay."

"Unfinished business?" Mae guessed.

"Something like that," her friend agreed.

Mae sensed that Helena didn't want to reveal any further information but she hoped that one of these days she might be able to hear more about her friend's reasons for staying behind. "Well, that helps me brainstorm a bit more about this problem, I think, though it doesn't really get us any closer to who the culprit might be. I'll let you know if I figure anything out, though. Will you..." she hesitated, "Is there some place I can find you if I want to talk?"

"I like the balcony," Helena admitted, managing a small smile, "You can often find me there."

"Thanks!" Mae beamed, grateful for this confidence, "You go get some rest then, okay? _Can _ghosts rest?"

Helena sighed, "You would think since we are able to be tired we should be able to rest, but I have not been able to figure out a method of resting that resolves the tiredness."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mae murmured, "But do your best anyway."

"I shall try," Helena replied softly, smiling again before she floated away.

Mae glanced at the grandfather clock in the hall. Finally, it was approaching seven o'clock and she could make her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. By the time she got all the way down there it should be being served. She closed the book but kept it under her arm as she headed back towards common room and then out into the halls of Hogwarts. When she reached the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall at a little after seven it was still just starting to fill up.

She took a seat far away from where Lisette normally sat and snuck a furtive glance over at the Slytherin table. Andrew was there with his friends Alexei and Arnold, but he wasn't looking at her. Maybe he had looked away when she had turned to see him. But did she really want him to be looking at her if he wouldn't come and talk to her? Granted, here she was looking at him but not talking to _him_. Oh, Merlin, how had they gotten like this? She sighed, wishing she knew as she started halfheartedly serving herself some eggs, which she knew she would only pick at.

After the room started to fill a bit she glanced up as the staff table and was both happy and apprehensive to see that the Snapes had decided to come today, bringing Maylene and Tommy with them. They only ate their meals in the Great Hall a couple of times a week because of the children now, usually on days when something Dinah found particularly tasty was being served and she wanted to be able to eat endless portions of it without constantly summoning refills to her home. But it was hard to keep the children, especially Maylene, in check, though she was allowed to run around more freely on the weekends, amusing some of the Hogwarts students; especially the first years.

Mae wondered if Dinah would remember her promise that they could talk today about her book. She looked up at them, hoping to catch her older friend's eye. It did not take long for that to happen and Dinah gave her a nod and a reassuring smile, getting her hopes up. But when could they talk? After dinner, maybe, she supposed, which seemed like forever from now. But none of their breaks overlapped during the day, as Mae had crammed her seventh-year schedule so thick with classes like all Ravenclaws should...

Sighing, she turned back to her meal, not even eating half of it before breakfast was over. She was just getting up to go drag herself to class when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she was surprised to see the friend in concern, "Dinah!" she exclaimed, blushing when she realized she had used her first name in front of the other students. She was starting to get so used to it now... "Oh, I'm sorry, " she bit her lip, trying not to cry, her emotions all over the place right now.

"It's all right; please don't worry about it," Dinah assured her, not looking perturbed in the least, "I just wanted to ask if you would like to have lunch with us in the dungeons. We have a lot to talk about, I know. I'm sorry we couldn't yesterday," she smiled.

"Ah! No... that's okay. Lunch... lunch would be great," Mae stammered, smiling back and starting to feel better again, though who knew how long this would last. Yesterday she had felt like all of her friends had abandoned her but today she had finally talked to Helena and was going to get to talk to Dinah as well. It wasn't the same as making up with Andrew, but at least it was something.

"Oh, good," Dinah beamed, "I want to tell you about what happened yesterday, as well. There might even be a connection between your research and ours."

"Really?" Mae felt her eyes go wide. So she had stumbled upon something _truly _important and useful to someone? It was almost a miracle.

"Mm, possibly," Dinah agreed, "We'll talk more at lunch. You've got to get to class and I really can't leave Sev up there alone with _both _children for too long, especially with Maylene getting all restless."

Mae laughed, "No, I suppose not. I'll talk to you at lunch, then?"

"Yes, I look forward to it," Dinah beamed, giving her a little wave and then going back up to the staff table to help deal with Maylene, who seemed to be bothering Professor Trelawny about something or other while Tommy was having what appeared to be a very intense, serious conversation with Slughorn, probably about potions as the little boy was quite interested in them. Neither Trelawny nor Slughorn were Professor Snape's favorite people, though, and so the poor man looked like he desperately wanted to escape. Luckily, Dinah would be there to rescue him.

Mae sighed, glancing over at the Slytherin table again to where Andrew was before, but he was no longer there. Her dream of a similarly happy life with him just seemed to grow more and more distant every day.


	24. Emotional Support

**A/N: So... this chapter begs a disclaimer due to Mae's half-Japanese heritage and how it comes into play here. Yes, I know that in the fanfic world these days making things 'Japanese', especially by anime fans, which I confess, I am one *hides*, is very overdone and cliché. But I hope I have succeeded in avoiding that problem here. I have personally immersed myself in the culture and spent four months in the country, and one of my college degrees is in Japanese Studies, thus I just like to include it where I can because it is something that I have a legitimate, serious interest in. I have tried not to go overboard, and to make it realistic and true-to-life, not something fan-crazed. That said, both of the foods I describe are real and tasty, and Mae's words LOOSELY translate to, "Thank you grandfather and grandmother for giving me a present I love"; and her grandfather says "I hate sweets", because traditionally it was thought that it was 'unmanly' for a male to like sweet things in the country.**

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR<p>

Emotional Support

* * *

><p>Mae had just left Arithmancy and was heading to her dorm to take a much-needed nap during her break. Or, at least, to try to. It was easier to sleep during the day than at night, she found, and she'd rather look well-rested for her talk with Dinah and Professor Snape at lunch. When she entered her bunk she found her little owl, Alexander, exhaustedly preening his feathers on her bed. In front of him was a big, lumpy package.<p>

"Oh!" she chuckled, walking up to indulgently pat her small bird on the head, "I wondered why you didn't come with the morning post. Did carrying this big bulky thing make you take a longer time than the rest of the owls?" she cooed, kissing the top of his head. Poor thing did struggle to carry the bigger packages.

Although it was very heavy for a Scops owl, when Mae lifted the package she found that it was quite light. Looking at the return address she felt another rare smile form, "It's from _Ojii-san _and _Obaa-san_, Alexander," she told her owl, settling down to open the package from her maternal grandparents. They were Japanese natives who had both moved to Britain at young ages and met each other in school. That side of her family was full Muggle, in contrast to Granddad Yates on the British side, who had descended from the squib Raymond Scrump. Really, though, Mae did still consider herself to be a Muggle-born for all intents and purposes.

Either way, it was nice to have loving grandparents. As far as she knew, Andrew had only one still living – his father's mother, Grandmum Annette. Mae had never met her as she lived abroad, but Andrew seemed to like her a lot and seemed more comfortable talking about her than his parents. Mae wondered what the woman would think of his "Mudblood" girlfriend, if Andrew ever got a chance to tell her that much. His parents forbid that information from getting to his grandmother for now, but he had said he wanted to tell her in person eventually. When she did find out, would she hate Mae as much as her son and daughter-in-law did? Or would Mae ever even know?

Trying to ignore the bad thoughts, Mae ripped open the package; "I wonder what they got me..." she mused, taking out the letter, written in Japanese, and skimming through it. Her grandparents tried to speak both languages equally so as not to lose touch with their original culture and thus Mae was as fluent in Japanese as she was in English. Her grandparents had taken another trip to Japan, it seemed, and had mailed her some edible souvenirs.

Looking into the package, Mae squealed with delight as she pulled out two of her favorite snacks, "_Konpeito _and _ebisen_, Alexander! Ah, _Arigatou, Ojii-san, Obaa-san_! _Daisuki na PURESENTO kureta_!" she giggled, turning over onto her stomach with a mind to open up the package of _ebisen_, or 'shrimp flavored chips'. They were the shape of chips, but in reality were a light, crunchy snack like crisps, flavored with shrimp. It was surprising how delicious they tasted, although it always took a while to get her full British friends to try them given the odd flavor.

She stopped herself at that thought, though. Maybe she should take them to share with Dinah at lunch. Dinah loved _ebisen_, but Mae didn't think she'd gotten a chance to share the joys of _konpeito _with her older friend yet. She grinned at the smaller package of little pastel, star-shaped candies. She couldn't wait to see the look on her friend's face when she tasted them.

"What a wonderful gift, Alexander!" she grinned, patting her pet on the head for a job well done and sending him flying back off to the owlery. Looking back down at the letter, she couldn't help but giggle. _Ojii_-_san _always tried to be a tough Japanese man no matter how long he'd lived in Britain by saying things like '_Okashi ga daikirai_', but it was all in fun. He ate dessert with their family all the time, there was no way he could pretend he didn't like sweets. It was a big joke.

She liked when Andrew spent time with her family. It had taken them some time to warm up to him but it had happened and they were almost perfect together now. And Andrew _loved konpeito _the last time he'd had it; if he knew she had it again he'd be so happy!

...Maybe.

It was at this point that Mae realized tears had started rolling down her cheeks. It seemed like they had been for a long time, but she had been giggling like mad with happiness only moments ago. How could she not have noticed that she had been crying at the same time?

Now that she had noticed, though, it was over. Her happiness gone, she curled up in her bed and buried her face in her pillow. She had thought her hormonal teenage years were almost _over _now that she was approaching eighteen but lately she wasn't so sure anymore.

What if Andrew never got to spend happy days with her family eating _konpeito _again? Was it her fault for not being willing to do the same with his family? But she had tried and tried and always failed and now... now...

Burying her face deeper into her pillow to muffle her sobs, Mae simply cried herself into her nap.

* * *

><p>"You putting in orange juice?" Tommy asked Severus, his brow furrowed in consideration as he watched his father prepare a potion at the table and Dinah tried to force Maylene to stay still in her lap while she combed her daughter's hair. Somehow, while Dinah had watched the children during her office hours, she and Owen had gotten into a rough and tumble fight on the floor and came out unharmed but a complete mess.<p>

Dinah's husband chuckled slightly but held the vial of bright orange liquid protectively away from the little boy, "No, son , this is not orange juice. And what do I always tell you about potion making?"

"Never try to eat the ingredients," Tommy repeated slowly, nodding, his sentence structure perfect only because he had heard this phrase a thousand times before, "But looks like orange juice."

"It is dandelion tincture, for use in anti-inflammatory potions," Severus explained. He never worked with truly harmful ingredients when the children were around, but it was still good to cultivate caution in them when it came to Potions ingredients, especially with a curious little fellow like Tommy.

"Are you done yet?" Maylene whined, wiggling around again.

Dinah sighed, "Yes, I'm finished. You can get down now." She wasn't really finished, but she sensed that this was all she was going to be able to do for now. At least her daughter's hair was straightened enough to look presentable for Mae Yates's visit. Not that Mae would judge her little namesake one way or another.

"Owen's a bad boy!" May declared for the umpteenth time, marching over to join Tommy and Severus at the table, "Can you hex him, Daddy?"

"Why don't _you _hex him?" Severus offered, putting his finished potion and the leftover ingredients away as Tommy gave a sad face that the show was over for now.

"You know I can't use magic yet!" May huffed.

"Now, _what _did the boy do again to make her this indignant?" Severus asked Dinah.

She laughed, "I keep telling you, I have no idea. One moment they were conspiring together as usual the next they were rolling on the floor in an attempt to destroy one another. We were all confined in my office the entire time. I don't know how I could have missed whatever it was that turned them against each other."

"Ah, the wonders of dealing with children," he sighed, shaking his head before turning in the direction of his office when the expected knock at the door came.

"That must be Mae," Dinah said, standing and heading through Severus's office to open the door into the hallway, smiling down at her young friend and trying her best to hide her concern. Since the fight with Andrew, every time Dinah saw the girl she looked more depressed. She looked thinner and tired as well, but was still smiling though her eyes might have been red. But Dinah could not pry; she didn't want to upset Mae in her vulnerable state and so just trusted that if her young friend needed anything she would say so.

"Thanks for the lunch invite," May said after Dinah greeted her, carrying her book bag inside and greeting Severus and the children before they all sat around the table for their meal.

"You have a book that you would like to show us involving the Hogwarts ghosts' affliction?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow once they had gotten themselves and the children served. Lunch was a light, simple soup and sandwiches, but that was pleasant enough for Dinah. Maybe there would be biscuits for dessert.

"Yes, it's here," Mae said, reaching into her bag to pull out a thick book. It was the same one she had shown them yesterday, but now Dinah gasped as she saw it in a new light. She turned to share a surprised glance with Severus and he nodded his agreement.

"This was one of the books in Ramkin's office," he confirmed.

"Ramkin?" Mae asked, looking from one of them to the other.

"We think we might finally know the name of our letter writer," Dinah admitted, and then she and Severus went ahead and gave Mae the whole story, wording it carefully so that the children would not understand.

"But that's perfect!" Mae exclaimed, her eyes having gotten wider and wider as the story went on, "Because I think it might be the answer! The connection I've been looking for with this and why the ghosts have been afflicted with this tiredness!" she rushed out, indicating the book again before tumbling into the story of all the information she'd found inside it and a talk she'd had with Helena Ravenclaw this morning about the nature of magical ghosts.

Dinah took it all in and while she did agree that the information was fascinating and probably very useful she found herself _more _concerned with the way Mae was conveying it. She had never seen the seventh-year filled with such a desperate need to explain something to someone before. Her eyes were alight with a strange sort of joy, and while she usually did convey exciting information with enthusiasm this was, in many ways, _too _excited. It was almost manic. Dinah knew a thing or two about psychology from Muggle university and was starting to fear her young friend was heading towards some sort of emotional breakdown.

"So, you see?" Mae panted when she was finished, "It all might make sense. Though I can't imagine how he's doing it from a distance and this book is a bit old and doesn't say exactly _how _he might be doing it..."

"Yes, we see..." Severus trailed, eyebrow raised. He had noticed Mae's odd behavior, too.

"And there may be other resources we can look into to try and find out what he is actually doing and why," Dinah said, "The Malfoys again, for example. But what siphoning powers from the ghosts from a distance could have to do with these letters is something I can't quite make any sense of."

"You do think it has potential though, right?" Mae pleaded, her expression drooping a little, "You were interested? You understand why I wanted to tell you about this? You think it's a worthwhile pursuit?"

"Oh, of course!" Dinah rushed out, worried for her friend again as she smiled and tried to reassure Mae that they took the information she had brought them very seriously, "I'm glad you told us. This will be _extremely _useful."

"Oh, good!" Mae breathed a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to her heart; "I was worried. I spent so many hours researching..."

"And for good reason, of course," Severus said, kindly joining in on reassuring Mae, "Any extra information is of a great help to us and this particular road may lead us just where we need to go. It simply may take some time to find our way."

"I'm so glad," Mae murmured, still looking a bit too relieved.

"Auntie Mae, are you okay?" Maylene suddenly asked, her brow furrowed she stared at her young 'aunt'. And Dinah smiled. As naughty as she could be, their daughter really was a nice little girl at heart.

"Huh?" Mae blinked, looking at her little namesake as though she had just noticed her presence, "Oh, I'm fine Maylene. No need to worry," she assured, patting Dinah's daughter on the head, "But thank you."

Sensing that it was probably best for her and Severus to speak with Mae alone, Dinah put down her napkin and made a decision; "Maylene, Tommy? If you've finished your lunch I think it's time to put you both down for your naps, all right?"

"NO!" was Maylene's predictable response.

"May Eileen Snape, I do _not _have time for your attitude right now, you are _going _to take a nap!" Dinah declared, pointing a finger at her daughter and meaning business.

"Yes, Mummy," Maylene backed off meekly. Luckily, she wasn't half as resistant with naps as she was with bath time.

"Hah," Dinah bragged, looking from Mae to Severus and back, "Let it never be said that I'm the parent who can't discipline."

"I would never say that," Mae giggled, looking to be in a slightly better mood now.

"Oh, good," Dinah grinned, smiling over at Tommy who was already yawning and, as always, quite compliant when it came to nap time. Leaving Severus with Mae, she carried her little boy to bed and then made her daughter get under the covers, too, sitting by her bedside to make sure she fell asleep. But, as always, that didn't take half as long as Maylene tried to pretend it would.

She returned to the dining room to find Severus and Mae had changed the subject to discussing Mae's Patronus issue. Severus was being all business about it, but Mae appeared a bit stressed again; "How is it coming?" she asked conversationally, taking her seat again as she rejoined them.

"We are still discussing alternate methods," Severus informed her.

"I think the cheering potion remedy would work best," Mae said, "But Professor Snape says it would be illegal to use on the test. He's right, of course. But the other techniques are so challenging..."

"Mm," Dinah agreed, sympathetic for her friend, "But a cheering potion... manufactured happiness... I wouldn't want you to have to resort to that."

"Probably have to. In my current state I haven't even been able to get the alternate methods to work," Mae sighed, her eyes shimmering a little, "And what's wrong with a little manufactured happiness? At least I'd be happy..."

"Mae..." she trailed, unsure of what to say to that and trying not to cry for her friend, who was obviously distressed and lonely.

"It's fine," she waved her off, "I'll keep plugging away at the alternate methods, I guess. One of them's got to work eventually. I just hope I don't fail at it during my N.E.W.T.s."

"The N.E.W.T.s are a long way off," Severus decided, and Dinah just knew he had convinced himself that Mae and Andrew would be fine by then and this problem would be out of his hands. But he also had to understand that that sort of logic would not help Mae right _now_. She needed emotional support, not reasoning. Even as a Ravenclaw, Mae was in too much distress to solve her problems with logic. The most logic gave her was a distraction; the distraction that had led her to find out this recent ghost information.

"Severus," Dinah tried to explain, "I think right now Mae needs-"

"You're not going to abandon me, are you, Professor Snape?" the seventh year suddenly interjected, turning a pleading gaze to Dinah's husband.

"Excuse me?" Severus questioned, taken aback.

"On my N.E.W.T.s... if I can't perform the charm. You know how hard I've been working with you... even if I can't do it, you'll have at least _some _mercy, won't you? Don't fail me and make me lose everything I've hoped for in my future. Whatever career I choose, I'm sure I'll need that N.E.W.T..." she trailed, her tone indicating that she had left her thoughts incomplete.

"I can only give you a grade based on how well you perform. There are standards that I must follow, set by the Board of Governors. A large chunk of it is out of my hands," Severus continued with his logic strategy, and Dinah had to resist sighing in frustration.

"But surely there has to be some clause allowing leniency for psychological and emotional turmoil!" Mae grasped at straws, swiping at her eyes which had welled up again, "It's not my fault I can't perform. They let you re-take the test if you're sick and this is sort of the same thing, isn't it? I'm not a bad witch... I'm..." she seemed to reach her breaking point and burst into tears.

"Oh, Merlin," Severus sighed, producing a handkerchief and handing it over to her, now at least showing a little bit of emotional support.

"Thank you," Mae whimpered, taking it to use it and struggling to talk to them through her sobs, "I'm sorry, I'm just... Andrew... and... I wanted to talk to somebody, but... my friends didn't care and Helen's tired... and you had to go away yesterday and... my ghost information... no one cared... I couldn't..."

"Oh, Mae!" Dinah gasped, standing and walking over to kneel in front of her friend's chair and wrap her arms around her, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you needed to talk to someone so badly yesterday. I wish we could have been there for you. I'm so sorry," she whispered again, wishing so much that she could take away all of Mae's pain, but realistically knowing she could only tame it a little. Andrew was really needed to solve this problem.

Mae, for her part, showed how much she had needed a hug by holding onto Dinah and not letting go, "It's not your fault. I'm sorry," she managed, "I shouldn't... expect everyone to drop everything and help me with my emotional problems at a moment's notice. I know that. I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I don't want you to think you were abandoning me. I know you have your own lives... you had to go to the Ministry for your own family. You had every right to do that. I'm sorry."

"But if you felt like you were being abandoned I can't just let that slide," Dinah murmured, feeling her own eyes tear up a bit, "If I had known I would have done something more for you, I promise."

"It's okay, really," Mae whimpered, still not letting go, "That means a lot, but you don't have to feel responsible. It has nothing to do with you."

"That's not true," Dinah assured, leaning back to meet her friend's gaze, only taking one hand from Mae's shoulders to wipe her own eyes before returning it to its original place, "You are our dear friend. I can't be completely happy if I know that you're suffering. I want to do everything I can. I just don't know how much I can do for you. But I'm here now. Any time you need to talk. We're not going anywhere. You can always come to us when you need someone. Even if we're busy we'll still figure something out."

"Thanks, Dinah," she whispered, leaning forward to hug her again and rest a head on her shoulder, "I didn't mean to upset you, too... I'm just a complete basket case lately, that's all, I guess. But your friendship means so much to me."

"I'm always here for you," Dinah murmured, returning the hug, "And please don't worry about me. I just want you to feel better, that's all. But, I..." she sighed, leaning back to meet Mae's gaze once more, "I think I agree with Severus now. You've got to at least try to talk to Andrew. This not speaking to each other isn't helping either of you and I hate to see you both so upset. You may not sort everything out completely right away but isn't there some way we can get you two at least communicating again?"

"Um... well..." Mae hesitated, dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief Severus had given her; "His birthday is coming up this weekend. I had already bought him his gift but I wasn't sure... I was thinking maybe I'd just owl it to him..."

"Oh..." Dinah frowned, shaking her head, "I don't know. I wouldn't recommend just owling the gift to him. I tried that once with Professor Black and it just wasn't the same... when I was a kid, you know," she grinned, trying to make things a little lighter, "I spent the next couple birthdays trying to make up for being so impersonal the one time."

"Oh, I remember that. You two were distant for a little bit then, weren't you?" Mae managed a little smile, and then sighed, "You're probably right, though. But how can I just approach him? I guess if I wait until the day of, then... well, then he won't be that surprised to see me. I'm sure plenty of people will be wishing him a happy birthday."

"It gives you a reason, if you need one," Dinah agreed, unable to hide her frown.

"You're thinking I don't need a reason... or I shouldn't need one," Mae hung her head, twisting the handkerchief around in her hands, "I know, but... I just..."

"I know. I'm not blaming you, I just wish you two weren't in the situation you're in, that's all," Dinah admitted, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Me too," she whispered, closing her eyes as a pain that could not easily be healed flashed across her face. But then she took a deep breath and lifted her head, "I'll try. I'll at least try."

"Good," Dinah smiled, "Trying is a good start."

She nodded, looking over at Severus again for the first time in a while, "And as for my N.E.W.T.s..."

Severus had been quiet for some time, likely allowing Dinah and Mae to sort out the emotional issues together. Dinah knew him well and was sure he was thinking that they were better equipped for it than he was. But now he sighed and rejoined the conversation, "Let us not assume anything specific will happen during your N.E.W.T.s just yet. There is ample time to sort things out between now and then. However, if need be I am sure we can at least make an appeal to the Board of Governors. We will try if we need to, but I would like to think that will not be necessary."

"Thank you," Mae's small smile grew a bit more with her relief, "I knew you wouldn't let me down. You're a good friend."

"Hmph," Severus snorted, looking away so she didn't see him blush.

Dinah covered a giggle and stood, giving Mae one more hug before returning to her seat, "Well, I'm glad that's... well, I won't say settled. It will take time to work things out, but every step is important, don't you agree?"

"Yeah. Thank you both for listening and putting up with me..." Mae gave them a sappy smile, and then gasped, "Oh! Dinah! I almost forgot," she turned and dug into her bag before pulling out a familiar-looking orange-ish bag covered in Asian writing with a picture of a savory snack on the front, "I got a package from _Ojii-san _and _Obaa_-_san _today, and..." she grinned.

"_Ebi-sen_!" Dinah shrieked, grabbing the bag when Mae held it out in offering. It was filled with shrimp-flavored chips, the delicious Japanese snack her young friend had introduced to her back when she was a second-year; "You spoil me with snacks," she laughed, hugging the bag to her and beaming at Mae.

"Go ahead and open them; I thought we'd all share today," Mae grinned, "And that's not all. They sent _konpeito_ too."

"_Konpeito_?" Dinah did her best job imitating Mae's accent. The seventh-year was truly and impressively bilingual, able to sound completely British and completely Japanese and switch between the two effortlessly.

"Little bits of colorful rock candy in the shape of stars," she clarified, handing a bag full of the adorable, pastel-colored goodies over to Dinah, "They're just rock candy, but I'm sure you like rock candy. And they're cute," she giggled, well aware of Dinah's weakness for cute things.

Severus, also, was acutely aware as he raised an eyebrow at Mae, "You bring my wife something cute that is also food? You have a wish to lose your hearing and take me with you, then?"

"I suppose so," she grinned at him.

"Oh, I haven't squealed yet, stop, you two!" Dinah laughed, waving them off and popping open both bags so they could all munch on an old favorite and a new treat. Though their get-together today had started off uneasy and gotten rather intense in the middle, she was glad they were able to ease back into a comfortable camaraderie now and that Mae hopefully was starting to feel at least a little bit better. If she managed to give Andrew his birthday present and the two started talking again then _maybe _they would be on the road to recovery.

And that was certainly what Dinah wished for her two young friends. A full and perfect recovery.


	25. Horribly Wrong

**A/N: Thank you very much to Amani Ishikawa for her recent review! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE<p>

Horribly Wrong

* * *

><p>Mae put down Frederick Binns's book and set it aside. She had been reading the whole treatise that the History of Magic Professor's brother had written, which covered many unknown phenomena about ghosts, over again upon Dinah and Professor Snape's suggestion. They had given her some other books, too; ones that had been in that Ambrose Ramkin's office, for her to help them research. It was so nice of them to let her take part in their investigations, giving her a healthy distraction from her problems.<p>

Although she had still promised to give Andrew his birthday present and now, on Saturday October Twenty-Third, Two Thousand and Four, that day had arrived and she could no longer put it off. Her heart racing and fluttering like a hundred tiny beating snidget wings, she reached for the small wrapped package that had been sitting on her bedside table for the past month, fingering the green and blue bows that she'd tied around it for their houses. "I can't do this!" she moaned, suddenly dropping it as she buried her face in her pillow.

"Yes, you can!" a friendly voice scolded.

"Begonia?" Mae lifted her head just enough to turn and get a look at her other bunkmate and closest friend in her house, Begonia Brown, standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Who do you think?" she grinned, "Now, you pick that cute little gift back up and take it over to your boyfriend for his birthday. You _are _the one who keeps saying you're not broken up, right?"

"Yeah..." she managed with a little sniffle, nodding and forcing herself to sit back up.

"Then why do you two keep acting like you are?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, grabbing the gift and setting it in her lap to start playing with the ribbon again. She didn't know anything anymore, to be honest. At least that's how it felt. And Begonia had been so busy lately preparing to go to Durmstrang at the end of next week. So many students in their year would be leaving and Mae was starting to regret her choice not to go as well. The only reason she had decided to stay was because Andrew had been so insistent that _he _wasn't going in order so that they could spend Christmas with his family. But she had been uneasy about it from the beginning and now that she knew _why _he had wanted them there, to announce the engagement she had denied him and which had led to their current situation...

Begonia came to sit next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't you think maybe he's as confused as you?"

She gave a silent nod, trying not to cry again as she thought about her friend leaving. She and Begonia and Lisette had been close ever since their first year, but because of Lisette's various issues more often than not she was the odd person out. But now Begonia and Lisette would be going to Durmstrang without Mae and it would be Mae that was all alone. The only other girl in their year that was staying was Lysandra, and that was just because her parents didn't want her to go. Something about thinking Durmstrang was too dangerous because its former headmaster had been a Death Eater.

In a way it would be good to have Lisette out of her hair for a bit, but Begonia really supported Mae's relationship with Andrew and having her gone was going to be difficult. Andrew, also, was going to lose a lot of his friends, although Cantrell was thankfully leaving. But Alexei was leaving, too, though as she understood it Arnold was going to stay. Either way, their year was going to be a pretty empty one, and if they weren't even talking to each other...

Mae stood up, that final thought helping her to make a decision, "I'll go," she decided, turning to Begonia, "Come with me?"

"Of course," she nodded, standing with her, "I'll go for moral support. But you've got to do the talking and hand it to him on your own. I can't do it for you."

"I know," Mae sighed, but was just grateful for her friend's presence as they made their way towards the Great Hall for lunch. Andrew usually got there early with Alexei and Arnold and so she was fairly certain they'd be able to find him. She thought her heart was going to explode from her chest it was beating so fast when they entered the dining area. The Snapes would not be there; she knew they were visiting their friends the Malfoys today for information about Ramkin. But she had Begonia and so, she thought, she could do it.

But she froze when she saw him. She tried to move her legs but they seemed glued to the floor. It was only when Begonia gave her a gentle, encouraging push that she stumbled forward, catching Alexei's surprised eye first when he saw her approaching Andrew's back.

"What?" Andrew asked his friend as Arnold spotted her next and looked just as surprised.

There was no turning back now. "I... I... I..." Mae stammered, her throat closing up as Begonia took a step back away from her and her hands trembled around the present.

Andrew's shoulders went tense at her voice and he spun around. They were facing each other now. Really looking into each other's eyes for the first time since their big fight, after which they had really done nothing but avoid and avert their gazes from each other. He was staring at her and looking so shocked and nervous that Mae felt her eyes well up with tears and next thing she knew he was too blurry to make out anymore. She was surprised at her ability to blink them back and keep them from falling, though. For now at least.

"M-Mae... uh... what?" he stammered, still looking like he was in shock from seeing her.

She knew how he felt; "I... it... um... your birthday. Here," she was surprised she didn't drop the gift her hands were shaking so much as she held it out to him.

"What? Really?" he managed, sounding so surprised that she would give him a gift that it hurt. And when he reached to take it and his fingers brushed against hers for a brief moment it was all Mae could do not to burst into tears. She had missed his touch so much. She didn't know how she had handled going on this long without it. She wanted to curl up in his arms and bury her face in his neck and have him hold her and comfort her and make everything better, but she had to resist for now. They were in such a delicate place and she didn't want to spoil anything.

"H-Happy Birthday. I'd bought it... I wanted to give it to you..."

"Oh," a shadow fell across his gaze, "You'd already bought it. I see."

"No!" she exclaimed in a loud whimper, making everyone jump a bit and causing some of the people in the vicinity to look over at them. But Mae didn't care. Because in one instant she could feel her whole world crumbling around her yet again; "Well, yes, I did, but..." she tried desperately to salvage the situation, "Even if I hadn't I still would have... I wanted to give you a present. It's your birthday... how could I not-? I just- I tried-" she could no longer form an intelligible sentence.

"Sorry," he mumbled, hanging his head so she could barely see his face and looking down at the gift, "I just thought... well, I didn't know if you'd want to give me anything, so..."

"Why would you think that?" she moaned, finding her voice again, "All I said was that I didn't want to marry you right now, I never said... I never told you I didn't want to be together or I wasn't going to give you a _birthday _present! What kind of horrible person do you think I am?" How she had gone from sad to angry she did not know, but now his words hurt so much that she felt rage boiling within her.

"I _don't _think you're horrible!" he countered, looking back up at her. Now he was the one desperately trying to salvage the situation and she had to admit it gave her some satisfaction. Really, how could he think that of her? "I just... I just wasn't sure if you would want to give me anything, after you told me no... You said no," he reminded her again of the marriage proposal.

"I said 'no' to right now, not forever! _You_'_re _the one who keeps thinking that if we don't get married right away we're going to break up! You don't trust me at all!"

"That's not true!" he defended, "It's only... a girl like you... and someone like me. It doesn't make sense. Our whole time together has been like a dream that should have been someone else's life, so it doesn't make sense that-"

"That's just what Harry Potter told Ginny Weasley at the end of his stupid sixth book!" she cut him off, feeling tears prickling at the back of her eyes again, "And at least he was trying to protect her, even if it was misguided. If you're going to bring your stupid issues into this at least have the decency to come up with a comment on your own and not steal from something else!"

"I..." his mouth fell open and he looked a little crushed. It hurt to see him so upset but Mae was hurt, too, and she didn't know what to say or do anymore. Even if he did have issues, he should trust her a little bit more. It made her feel so alone.

"Oh, and in case you cared..." she whimpered, digging into her pocket to pull out the rest of the _konpeito _which she had decided to give to him, "I _did _pick out something to give you after our fight. My grandparents sent this... I knew you like it so I wanted to give you some and I just added this to the gift early this week," she told him, stuffing it into his hands, "So think about that next time you're worried I don't care about you. And we're still not broken up!" she declared, getting that last bit of fire out of her system before her tears overcame her and she turned around so he could not see her crying. Running up, she grabbed the concerned-looking Begonia's arm and started to lead them out of the Great Hall. She wasn't hungry anymore. Instead, she'd spend lunch hour crying on her friend's shoulder and trying to figure out how everything had gone wrong yet _again_.

* * *

><p>"Auntie Astoria, you have to make Uncle Draco and Tommy play dress-up with us, okay? You're good at it and Tommy has to play the spider even if he says no!" May declared, tugging on her young 'aunt's' hand.<p>

"Won't be spider!" Tommy shouted his protest against his sister as Astoria and Draco led the children off to another part of Malfoy Manor to entertain them while the adults stayed in the parlor to discuss their 'grown up things'.

They all chuckled as they watched the children leave; "Who would have known Draco's old Acromantula costume would get so much use out of it in later years," Narcissa mused with a smile.

"Yes, but what better evil creature to imprison the princess so that her prince or, in this case, Uncle Draco, can rescue her?" Dinah smiled, enjoying the camaraderie she now shared with the other woman which had taken a couple of years to really build up because of her birth.

"Mm. At home it is usually a dragon and Prince Owen, but I believe she prefers the 'spider' enemy more," Severus agreed, "And, of course, Thomas hates either costume."

Lucius smiled, "Yes, children can be quite enjoyable to have around, can't they? I look forward to the day when Draco and Astoria produce our next heir," he said, taking Narcissa's hand and bringing it to his lips.

"Mm," she agreed, meeting his smile and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Dinah smiled as well, twining her fingers with her own husband's as both couples took a moment to enjoy a bit of quiet affection. But too soon it was time to get down to business.

"So you say you believe that the ultimate culprit behind the letters is Ambrose Ramkin?" Narcissa asked, looking as surprised as she did every time it had been mentioned to her, and Lucius's expression was much the same.

"Yes," Dinah agreed.

"Mm, and according to your estranged cousin, it seems Bellatrix was rather... _enamored _of him for a time," Severus said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, she was," Narcissa murmured agreement, not bothering to talk about Sirius. The Blacks and Malfoys tended to just keep quiet about each other when they could, though there was less malice in the relationship at this point. One of these days they were going to have to officially reconcile, Dinah thought, but now was not the time. "But I'm surprised," the other woman continued, "Lucius and I have heard nothing of Ramkin's whereabouts for ages. I wasn't even aware he was working at the Ministry. No one in our..." she blushed, "'circle' has heard anything of him recently as far as I know."

"Odd," Severus frowned, "Do you think it is possible he has purposefully been avoiding former Death Eaters for one reason or another? Myself excluded, I suppose..." he trailed, and Dinah reached over to take his hand. She knew he still deeply regretted his Death Eater days, though they had been very brief. He gave her a slight smile and squeezed her fingers before turning back to the Malfoys and continuing, "Because there are other social circles that are quite aware of him and his apparent ghost research. And as you know the Airaldis were never Death Eaters, so perhaps a correspondence with Andre is something he deemed safe?"

"It's quite possible," Lucius agreed, "Though I can't imagine why. Of course, in school he was a very quiet individual. Almost no one knew what was going on inside of his head. Bella thought she did, but..."

"Yes, my sister had many delusions throughout her life," Narcissa said with a quiet frown, "Either way, although Ambrose made it clear he was on the side of pureblood supremacy, I don't recall him ever showing much interest in _joining _the Dark Lord's cause. He agreed with its many points, but never spoke of becoming a Death Eater or anything of the sort."

"He never spoke much of anything, really," Lucius pointed out.

"Do you think he was avoiding the Dark – Voldemort's cause because he knew of the consequences of joining and then failing?" Dinah asked, "Because he knew of Voldemort's brutality? That's why the Airaldis avoided the cause."

"No, it wasn't like that," Lucius shook his head, "He did not communicate much, but from my personal impression Ambrose Ramkin was a rather fearless type. If anything, he may have avoided the Dark Lord's specific cause because he did not want to submit to him. He would have thought he deserved to be a leader, not a follower."

"Merlin," Dinah breathed, feeling her chest sink a little as her heart fluttered in fear, "Then, that does seem to fit with his comment in the first letter about the rise of a new Dark Lord. He wants to do it himself," she murmured, filling with dread for the fate of Hogwarts and their family if someone was truly going to try and start up a new war.

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Severus murmured, placing his other hand over their clasped ones to hold hers securely between his, bringing her some much-needed comfort. He turned to Lucius, "From what you know of Ramkin, which is certainly more than me, do you think he is actually _capable _of such a feat? He may think he is, but we all know how easy it is to become disillusioned by a desire for power and how so many believe that they are capable of things they truly aren't."

"I couldn't say," Lucius shook his head.

"Nor I," Narcissa agreed, "He kept his thoughts well-hidden, though he was certainly a talented and intelligent wizard. But that doesn't necessarily mean he could coordinate such a massive effort on his own."

"He's not on his own," Dinah said bitterly, "He has Andre Airaldi. I doubt the boy even realizes he is Ramkin's slave and his first honorary Death Eater." She gasped, turning to Severus, "We have to let Ennio and Amanda know."

"In good time," her husband tempered, "We still have no certain answers, only speculation. And we have no idea where Andre Airaldi is; or Ramkin for that matter. Best not to get his parents worked up with worry until we know more."

"I suppose you're right," she sighed, laying her head on his shoulder and turning to look over at the other couple, "Do either of you know anything about his ghost research? Do you know if he had any interests in the subject while at school to help us figure out what he's doing and how he's doing it? And how it might fit in with his other plans?"

"He studied each and every subject constantly and with equal fervor," Lucius said, "I cannot truly recall him ever focusing too much on one thing in particular, at least not in school."

"I'm sorry we can't be more helpful," Narcissa apologized.

"No," Dinah shook her head with a sigh, "You've been helpful. Ramkin has just really covered his tracks well, I guess... but you've gotten us quite a bit closer to putting the puzzle pieces together. I just hope that when we finally get the last piece in it won't be too late."

And that was the biggest concern now, really. They were putting things together, but the question was whether or not they would be fast enough.

* * *

><p>Andrew sat in his bed staring at the little wrapped gift on the bedside table. He had been sitting here for what felt like hours now, staring at it and thinking of how much he'd messed up this afternoon. If he had just said one thing different maybe he and Mae would be better right now instead of worse. But there was no way he could know that for sure. Either way, he felt guilty opening her gift after he'd hurt her so much over it.<p>

But he couldn't _not _open it. She had got it for him out of the goodness of her heart and had even had the decency to assure him they weren't broken up before she ran off. He still didn't understand, though, how she could still want to be together if she didn't want to marry him. Maybe he was an idiot for not understanding it, but he didn't understand it. And her comment about his 'issues'... that had hurt. What was he supposed to tell her? Guys like him didn't usually 'get the girl' under normal circumstances. In proposing, he was seeking reassurance that they would be together forever, but when she said 'no' he'd gotten... nervous.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was just...

He sighed. He couldn't explain it, even to himself. Reaching over to the bedside table, Andrew finally took the gift back into his hand and brought it onto his lap, fingering the curled ribbons for a bit first, as he thought of how much effort Mae had put into the presentation, making it represent both of their houses. He wondered if she had wrapped it before or after their fight.

He cursed himself for thinking along those lines again, as that was what had gotten him into this mess today. He unwrapped the small box and out popped a card, dropping onto the bedspread. He would look at that in a moment; he was a bit apprehensive about what it might say. Instead, Andrew first turned his attention to the gift he held. It was a very nice set of Exploding Snap cards, in an intricately carved wooden case. The carvings were of birds and snakes, making him wonder if his girlfriend had had it custom made.

His throat dry with a combination of nervousness and tentative emotion, he placed the Exploding Snap set – a game that was a favorite hobby of his and his friends' – aside and reached for the card, opening it to read what it said inside.

It appeared to be a generic enough romantic birthday card, probably purchased in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, professing a desire to stay by his side, gratitude for the time they had spent together, and other such affectionate sentiments. But Mae had written in the words 'Dear Andrew' at the beginning, and at the end, after the 'Happy Birthday', a little note:

_ I love you so much! Can you believe it's our last year of Hogwarts? No matter what comes our way, I know we're going to have the most wonderful future together! I hope your birthday is the best ever!_

_All my love and yours always, Mae_

Well, if her words and the little hearts and smiling face she drew with her signature were any indication, this had clearly been written before their fight. Probably even before they'd arrived at Hogwarts and things had gotten uneasy between them. Somehow, Andrew felt guilty that he was responsible for ruining the wonderful future she had been talking about. Just because he'd proposed at the wrong time, he thought, his chest hurting.

He looked to the bedside table once more at the _konpeito _she had included with the gift and felt like crying. How had they gone from the happiness in her card to the agony of now? Was it his fault? Was it anyone's fault? He took the bag of candy and tried to ease the pain he felt by eating a piece of the star-shaped sugar, but it didn't help. It just brought back a flood of memories of happier times.

Mae had introduced him to the food and the language of her other culture; he could speak Japanese fairly well himself now, though not fluently as Mae did. He had spent so many dinners with her family, immediate and extended, eating foods like these candies and other Japanese things as well as traditional British fare, familiarizing himself with the Muggle world, a world he had known very little about growing up but had realized wasn't so bad after all. Some things about it were even nice, although they had taken him some getting used to.

Her family had been uncertain of him at first but they had quickly warmed up just as he had warmed up to them. His family had never done that with Mae, and Mae had never even met anyone besides his parents. He wished she could meet Grandmum Annette, but his parents wouldn't even allow him to write in his owls to her that Mae was Muggle-born. Apparently they didn't think Grandmum could take it, but he wasn't so sure... she was a pretty worldly woman; maybe she would be all right with Mae. But he wasn't going to know for sure until he could see her in person and tell her directly.

And now he was starting to wonder if he would even get the chance.

He took another little piece of _konpeito_, savoring more of the bittersweet memories of happy moments with Mae.

Happier times he desperately hoped they could have again, only now he wasn't so sure.

* * *

><p>Mae closed and replaced Frederick Binns's book after having finished reading the final sentence. After her little spat with Andrew she had gotten ridiculously fast and finished the thing in record time. Only now her problem was that she didn't know if she was sad or angry. Probably a bit of both, but she felt a lot of irritated tension that she wanted to get out of her system. Begonia and well, really, all of her housemates had noticed it. And of course it hadn't helped her irritation when she'd come up to her bunk this Sunday evening to find a thank-you note from Andrew for the birthday gift. Obviously, <em>he <em>hadn't talked to Dinah about the inappropriateness of sending notes for this sort of thing. At least he had put 'Love, Andrew' at the end, even if the rest of it was horribly generic.

"Finished?" Begonia asked with a raised eyebrow, putting Mae in mind of the Snapes.

"Yes," Mae clipped her response. She didn't really snap, she just didn't have much else to say but 'yes' at the moment.

"_And_?" her friend pressed, obviously biting back a chuckle.

Mae heaved a sigh, "Well, he does mention the same phenomenon of stealing ghost power, or at least he mentions the possibility of weakened ghosts and speculates on their nature. I wonder if I should go through Great-Granddad's stuff again. There's so much of it and I've read it all, but you forget things after a time, you know? And if it was something that didn't seem immediately relevant..."

"I think you've already decided to do so. You know..." Begonia sighed, as their window began to rattle, "I know you need to get this frustration out but I hope it doesn't last too long. You and Andrew _really _need to talk now, more even than before, probably. It will be best for both of-"

"Merlin, I have _had _it with the damn window rattling!" Mae leapt from her bed in a sudden rush of fury, forgetting whatever her friend had been saying as she went over to check again the sides of the window and make sure they were secure. As usual, they were, but the thing had been rattling off and on for what seemed like all school year and it was beginning to drive her mad. Or maybe it had already driven her mad.

"Yes, well, never mind," Begonia said, her tone frustrated, "You know we should really just report the window to Filch or something if it's bothering you so much. It really hasn't been that often, in my opinion..."

"Oh, as if Filch would do anything about it," this time Mae did snap at her friend as she stormed back to her bed with the window now quiet behind her, jumping into it so that she collapsed face-first onto the pillow.

"What's going on here?" Through her now-muffled world Mae heard the undesirable voice of Lisette as the door creaking open also signaled her entry.

"Mae's still irritated," Begonia's voice explained in a quieter muffle.

"Oh..." Lisette paused for a moment, "Well, you want to know what _I _think?"

"No, I do not!" Mae lifted her head just long enough to declare this with finality before returning her face to the soft, dark security of her pillow, the plush enveloping her and blocking out the world. If she buried her head deep enough she would not have to hear them talk about her and Andrew, wouldn't have to think about anything at all. And that was more than desirable.

She probably shouldn't have made that comment about Andrew's issues, she knew, and she wished she hadn't hurt him, but he had hurt _her _with his lack of trust. She believed they'd stay together, married or not. He believed... well, she didn't really know what he believed. And she didn't care.

Or, at least, she was going to pretend like she didn't care. For now.


	26. Pondering

**A/N: Pretty short chapter this time. Thank you to everyone for your reviews thus far and thank you to MRSSPICY for noticing some grammar errors that I have gone back and fixed. :) I hope you are all still enjoying the story!**

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><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX<p>

Pondering

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><p><em>The Malfoys cannot help you. They know nothing of us. Give up your attempts to stop me. The new Dark Lord will rise very soon. –A<em>

Dinah tried to breathe as she read the latest letter from "A" – a man they now knew was Ambrose Ramkin, though they had no idea where he was or what exactly he was doing. This letter came with no scents of rose water nor any floral gifts, simply his words on the parchment. Words that made her throat dry with fear and confusion. There were still too many things that didn't make sense.

"So he is on the 'new Dark Lord' subject again..." Severus said in her ear, the frown evident in the tone of his deep voice.

"Severus, why?" Dinah spun to search her husband's face, seeking comfort in his dark eyes and the familiar folds of his long, greasy black hair, "Why are we still only getting nonsensical letters from this mons... this undesirable person...?" she trailed, her gaze shifting over to where Owen and Maylene sat playing with a picture-changing puzzle on the floor. She had to be careful and not say the word 'monster' again. Next to them, Mae Yates sat on the sofa reading a book to Altair and Tommy sat perched on his knees on the next cushion, blissfully distracted as he watched Adara sleep in her bassinet on the third cushion.

"Because he is 'toying' with us, clearly," her husband decided, running a hand along her arm, "We must try to put this together."

"But what is there to put? How does he know we've been speaking with the Malfoys? Is he intercepting our owls? And why does he say 'us' and then 'me'? Is he talking about Andre and himself or just himself? Why would he switch between the two? Or does he have even _more _people now? Why would-?"

"Is everything okay? What does the letter say?" a voice said, and Dinah turned to see that Mae had approached, Altair following behind her with his book and holding onto her robes with one hand, waiting for her to finish her grown-up talk and continue to entertain him.

Dinah considered her younger friend. Mae had decided to come over and spend the evening with them, and they had welcomed her in, especially as Maylene and Owen had insisted on having a 'visit' tonight with everyone in the dungeons and an extra eye to watch the children was quite helpful. Mae's mood seemed to have improved since last week, but it was only because she and Andrew had had a rather bad spat on Saturday and she was still fuming over it. She had done karaoke with Dinah a bit earlier, before this horrid letter had arrived, but she had avoided her favorites and anything romantic when picking songs, so it still wasn't quite the same. And Dinah feared her irritation would give way to a deep sadness again very soon.

"Not much, except horrible confusing things that I can't decipher the true meaning of," Dinah told her, handing the parchment over for the student to peruse.

"'New Dark Lord...'" Mae read, frowning, "I don't understand. It seems like he's just talking more than doing anything. What can he even do? And how will draining ghost power help him do it? From what I've read the power seems to have no purpose aside from weakening ghosts, and it isn't as though our ghosts perform some necessary task that weakening them will give him any sort of advantage... right?"

"They perform no task," Severus agreed, "In fact, I would say they are merely here for the students' amusement."

"Oh, don't say it like that," the student admonished, "They're really very nice people... or they _were _nice people... well, they still are nice... oh, you know what I mean."

"Their personalities have nothing to do with this," Dinah's husband decided, "And I am still uncertain how I feel about you getting involved. Research is one thing, but if something were to happen... Fighting off this threat is a task for adults."

"Well... technically I _am _an adult," Mae pointed out with an expression of slight agitation, shifting in her stance, "Legally. I know I'm still a student, and I'm still not a legal adult in the Muggle world just yet, but I will be, come December, so..."

Severus frowned, and so did Dinah. She knew that this was more a relic of his agitation at Harry Potter's group from the old days. He had considered it a great affront that the three students, even at the tender age of eleven, had taken and also really been given more responsibility for solving the various problems at the school than he or any of the other faculty. Even Dinah had to admit that the concept of children saving the world was unusual – it almost sounded like a work of fiction it its premise, _but..._

"Oh, let her help," Dinah decided, "Nothing dangerous has happened yet and it helps to have an extra pair of eyes for research and to look at these letters and things we keep getting sent."

"True," Mae agreed, "Although I know what with my magic being the way it is lately if something dangerous did happen I might be more of a liability to you than anything," she sighed.

"Nonsense," Dinah shook her head, feeling bad for the poor girl, "You could never be in our way. But we would also never force you to do something for us if you were uncomfortable with it. So... why don't we just say you'll do as much as you're comfortable with? How does that sound?"

"I want to help where I can," her young friend admitted, before a grin formed on her face, "Besides, if I recall correctly you two did half of your world saving in my first year when _you _were children, and you let me help you research then."

Severus's gaze managed to soften into a half-smile and he nodded, "You have a point. I suppose I cannot argue with that."

"Well, I can a little," Dinah grinned, "Because really, we only saved one little boy, not the whole world. But thank you for the nice memory," she said, stepping up to hug Mae, "It's good to have them when everything else is so confusing." She sighed, keeping her arms slung around Mae's shoulders but turning to look at Severus, "What I really don't understand is how he knows we've been speaking with the Malfoys. I think Rowena's feathers would be quite a bit more ruffled, figuratively, each time we see her if she's getting intercepted on her flights, so I doubt that's it. I feel like the answer to that question is extremely important. Where is he getting all of his information?"

Severus sighed, frowning again, "This isn't the first time he's known things that he, perhaps, should not..."

"Mummy, Dara moved!" Tommy announced, hopping down from the sofa and running over to stand next to Altair who was still waiting silent and patient at Mae's side. The little boy looked up at Dinah with an anticipatory expression, "Can we feed her special milk now?"

Presented with something else pleasant to distract her from worry, Dinah chuckled and lifted her little boy up into her arms, "Now just because she moved doesn't mean she's awake. But why don't we go and see for ourselves? I'm sure Altair would like to finish having his book read to him too, wouldn't you, dear?" she asked the smaller boy.

Quiet as usual, he gave a nod in response and Dinah's heart melted a bit. He was really just too sweet for words. Mae seemed to be affected similarly because she leaned over to pick him up, saying; "All right, let's go finish that story for you. I bet you'd really like Andrew to come and read to you, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I think so!" Maylene decided, looking up from her puzzle as they all approached the sitting area again, "Auntie Mae-Mae, where _is _Uncle Andrew? You didn't bring him again."

"Oh..." Mae frowned, looking both uncertain and uncomfortable. But she sighed as Maylene shoved her way onto her other leg, crowding in with Altair. Putting her arms around her young namesake, she said, "Uncle Andrew is a little busy, that's all. I'm sure he'll be back again at some point. He _hasn't _been coming here, correct?" she asked, now looking frustrated as she turned a questioning gaze to Dinah, "Not at all? Not like me?"

She shook her head, "No, he hasn't. But I don't think young men like Andrew are as likely to want to come seek out emotional support at a time like this. He's more likely to be stewing on his own, I would think."

"Yes, well," Mae pursed her lips, "He could come here just as a _friend _and certainly he could come here for the children's sake. Doesn't he care that they might be missing their Uncle Andrew? Did he even think about that? No, I highly doubt it."

"Now..." Dinah sighed, "Don't be so harsh with him. I imagine he has a lot on his mind. Besides, he has been speaking with Severus and I a bit in class about things," she told Mae, ignoring the warning look her husband was giving her. She wasn't going to reveal about Andrew's Patronus lessons and he should know that well enough to not give her that look.

"Really?" this made Dinah's young friend appear hopeful.

"Really," Dinah assured, "He's thinking this through in his own way. Just give him time and he'll come around. Of course, you have to as well..."

"Yeah, go figure that," Mae snorted, not looking like she was going to be coming around any time soon.

"Did you have a fight?" Maylene suddenly asked, "Because you should make up. When Mummy and Daddy fight it's scary; but then when they make up they do it by being gross, and that's gross. So I don't know what's better," she declared thoughtfully.

Laughter bubbled out of Dinah at that long-winded statement of her daughter, and indeed both Severus and Mae started laughing as well. It was such a ridiculously adorable way to think through things, Dinah thought, leaning against her husband as they cuddled a bit in their laughter. Their little girl could be so much fun.

Mae smiled, hugging Maylene tight, "Oh, little miss May Eileen Snape, you're so cute. We'll try to make up soon, all right?" she looked up at Dinah and Severus, "It just always amazes me how smart she is. The way she explained that was almost like an adult."

"Thank you," Dinah smiled, her cheeks warm with pleasure at having her child praised. Severus's gaze, too, was proud as he nodded his agreement; "Of course, it can be quite a challenge too. When you have a smart one of your own, then you'll kno – oh..." she frowned, stopping herself as the subject shifted into territory that might make Mae uncomfortable given her current issues with Andrew.

Mae sighed, hugging little Maylene tighter but staring past her down to the floor, "I will have some of my own someday. I know it. We've just... got to get through this somehow. We _will _get through this... somehow..."

It was Dinah's turn to sigh, as she handed Tommy over to Severus and sat on the middle couch cushion next to Mae, making room for Owen to squeeze in next to her and check on his baby sister who was still sleeping despite having 'moved' earlier. She placed what she hoped was a reassuring hand on her young friend's shoulder, "That's right. You will get through this," she encouraged, a little fire of conviction flaming in her chest, "I know you will."


	27. The Students' Exodus

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The Students' Exodus

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><p>"<em>Expecto Patronum<em>!" Andrew tried again, flicking his wand in front of him as he sat in his bunk on Friday morning. Once he had a perfect owl Patronus to show to Mae, surely his girlfriend would see how he truly felt and stop being angry with him, he knew it. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting any better at making the shape stay recognizable for long. In fact, he was wondering if he may be getting worse. Plus, today was...

"Well, it's time," Cantrell declared, walking into their bunk with the announcement as though Andrew cared. He glanced up at the wispy white half-owl and smirked, "You still trying to form that bird?"

Ignoring him completely, Andrew stood and left the room, heading into the common room instead to find Alexei, who was lugging a heavy trunk out of his own bedroom. After shoving it into a pile with the rest of his things, he gave them a once-over and then, satisfied, flicked his wand to send all of the objects packing into a single small bag using wizard space. He was so focused on his task that he didn't at first notice Andrew's approach.

Until Andrew sneezed, that was. That made him jump. "Sorry," Andrew apologized, "All ready then?"

"Think so," he grinned, "This should be interesting... You know, Durmstrang and their not letting in Muggle-borns and all that."

"And it's their first year hosting the Tournament, too," Andrew frowned, "Yeah. But you made the right decision in going. You'll have a good time. Even if Cantrell _is _going, too."

"Yeah, I just hope I don't have to bunk with him," Alexei teased, though he looked a little worried too as Arnold approached them and he looked between his two friends, "You sure you two don't want to throw in a last-minute application and go with me?"

"I don't think they accept them, mate," Arnold laughed, patting him on the back, "And besides, what with my Mum being sick and all I have to stay in Britain to help Dad if I need to. And Andrew..."

Andrew sighed, "Your problems are worse than mine. At least Mae is healthy, even if she's not speaking to me," he sniffled and had to withdraw a handkerchief from his robe pocket to blow his nose, filling with irritation at his stupid predicament, "Merlin, damn allergies. If I lose her I'm never going to find another girl, that's for sure," he growled.

"Aw, now, no Andrew pity-parties today, okay?" Alexei joked.

"I don't throw Andrew pity-parties," he retorted, having none of it today.

"Hundred percent certain about that?" Arnold asked with a raised eyebrow, "Though it's worse when you're fighting with Mae. Usually she keeps you saner than this. But it's not only_ her_ that's not speaking to _you_, you know."

"Well, how can I speak to her if she's not speaking to me? Yeah, I know, if we both think like that we'll never speak again!" he snapped before either of them could say anything to that effect, "Once I get my Patronus working, then I'll do it."

"I don't think you need to wait for that to do it. Have a little more faith in her. I think that's all she wants. Then you could repair this," Alexei decided, and when Andrew refused to respond to him he sighed, "Look, I know you two have to work this out on your own, I get that. But I just wanted to let you know that I hope you _do _work it out and when I get back from Durmstrang I want to see the both of you back to normal. All right?"

At his friend's support Andrew met his gaze again and relaxed his body a bit, a smile forming. Well, maybe he _did _throw Andrew pity-parties sometimes. He should probably work on that. "Thanks, mate. That means a lot. I'll do what I can. You just have a good time at Durmstrang," he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I will. Who knows, I may even put my name into the Goblet of Fire. Wouldn't that screw with Cantrell's brain if I won the Tournament?"

"I would _love _to see that!" Arnold laughed, and Andrew joined in as he followed his friends out of the common room and up to the Great Hall for breakfast. They would be seeing the Durmstrang-bound students off right after the meal with the rest of the school, and then it would be just him and Arnold and still no Mae. But maybe he could rectify that soon.

If he could just get that damn Patronus working.

* * *

><p>Mae dug the tiny journal out of the bottom of her box of things from Great-Granddad. She had asked Professor Binns to have back the things he had in his possession for the time being, so that she had the complete collection of notes and books and could thus investigate this matter as thoroughly as possible. The small, tattered book, entitled <em>Tall Tales, Slight Suggestions, and Other Stories with Little Proof<em>, collected some of Raymond Scrump's most questionable information he had gotten while talking to the tribespeople. Mainly, it was full of things that were more likely to be myth, legend, speculation, or just the exaggeration of older individuals in the tribes. At any rate, they were stories that her ancestor had had little success in proving they had any basis in reality. But still, one never knew, and thus he had collected them anyway.

In the other materials she had flipped through so far, which had really only been about half of the total, Scrump had taken down so much information, she had found one little note revolving around stealing ghost power. And with that note, which stated that certain tribal ghosts had exhibited the behavior with each other, he had included a short sentence to 'see' the small journal for more information. So Mae had done that right away.

She was just opening it up to flip through it when the door creaked open and her chest dropped. Looking up at Begonia entering the room, a wave of sadness and loneliness overcame her. Her friend was going to be leaving today.

"Find anything good?" Begonia asked, a small, sad smile on her face.

"I think I'm about to," Mae agreed, closing the journal and setting it aside on the bedside table. She hadn't realized it was almost time to go to breakfast and say goodbye to everyone; "I'll finish reading it later," she said, standing and walking over to hug her friend, not wanting to let go. She knew she had been a bit clingy with everyone lately in her desperate need for emotional support, but luckily all her friends had been very supportive about it.

"I'm gonna miss you," Begonia murmured, tears in her eyes when they ended their embrace.

"Me too," Mae sniffled, "But think how much fun you're going to have. Maybe I should have gone..." she trailed, sighing.

"No, you need to stay," her friend assured, placing both hands on her shoulders, "I know you're still angry with him, but I think you're losing your fire a _little _bit to where I can talk to you about it before I go?" she questioned.

Mae nodded, "Sure. I'm not so mad anymore, just... hurt and confused, I guess."

"You'll work it out," Begonia decided, "When I come back from Durmstrang I expect to see my favorite happy couple again. Can you do that?"

"I can try," she agreed, wiping her eyes and nodding, "Thanks. I'll write you if anything happens."

"Good. Keep me updated," Begonia gave her another hug and they made their way down to the common room where Lysandra and Sharon were also sharing the first of their tearful good-byes for the day. Mae hoped that Lysandra would be able to take time from her studying to chat a bit, as they would be the only girls in their year still here for many months.

"Hey," a voice murmured, as someone tapped Mae hesitantly on the shoulder.

Turning, Mae saw Lisette standing there with a cautious, but hopeful expression; "Oh. Hi."

"Hey," she repeated, keeping her voice soft as she twiddled her fingers, a gesture that reminded Mae of Dinah, which was quite curious because Lisette and Dinah had virtually _nothing _in common and certainly didn't like each other at all. "I just didn't want to leave on a bad note. Are we still friends? I know we don't always agree on everything and I can't change the fact that I just don't trust anyone with the slightest possibility of suspicious connections, but... I do want you to be happy. I hope we're still friends."

Looking at Lisette's hesitant face, all of Mae's anger at her friend seemed to drain away in an instant and she launched a hug at her, "Of course we're still friends," she murmured, sniffing, "And thank you. I'm going to miss you."

Lisette's arms came up to hug her back as she sighed with relief, "Me too. If you have to work things out with Andrew, please do whatever you need to do. But be careful. I'm just obligated to say that."

Mae sighed, drawing back and nodding, "I know. But he's really okay Lisette, trust me. You can't know someone for this many years and not be certain of that. I'm certain of that. Andrew is fine."

"Well, people back in the days of the war knew each other for years and some of them still..." she stopped and shook her head, "Never mind. Not today. I do want us to leave on a good note."

"Thanks," Mae replied, backing off to let Lysandra and Lisette say goodbye and walking over to bid farewell to Sharon and the others instead.

Breakfast went by in a blur, with everyone bustling and talking about Durmstrang and the excitement of the upcoming Tournament. Mae snuck a glance over at the Slytherin table to see that Andrew, Alexei, and Arnold were chatting just as much, ignoring Cantrell and the group of more stereotypically 'traditional' Slytherins a bit further down the table. But, like Dinah, she didn't like to think of Slytherins as being any particular way. They were people just like everyone else, and there was a great variety.

She turned away from her boyfriend to look up at the staff table. The Snapes and Blacks had the children with them today because there was no Grubbly-Plank to watch them in their absence, as every staff member had to be here to send off the students. Poor Maylene and Owen looked desperate to be set free from their seats to run around between the student tables as they sometimes did on weekends, but today was too crazy to allow such a thing. Surely that was why Dinah and the rest were keeping them under close surveillance.

Finally, their meal was complete and Professor McGonagall came up to the podium to make an announcement and give the Durmstrang-bound students a proper send-off. Mae listened with interest to her description of the history of the Triwizard Tournament, mentioning the ones held at Hogwarts both five and ten years ago, the former the one that had gone smoothly and kicked off a new generation of Tournaments for the modern day. Ten years ago they had tried to do it, but with Harry and the war it had gone horribly wrong. Now the tradition was finally re-established, and this second tournament, the first at Durmstrang, would continue the line.

Mae listened to the headmistress explain how the students were going to head to King's Cross Station in London after breakfast, to catch the flying train which would be their school's elaborate presentation to take them to Norway, where Durmstrang lie on a tiny peninsula just east of the city of Hammerfest, on the northernmost tip of the country. Mae shivered just thinking about how cold it must be at this time of year, but she was going to miss the opportunity to explore an interesting new culture and eat interesting new foods. She'd have to live vicariously through Begonia and Lisette's owls, that was all. And maybe someday she'd try to make a trip up there herself, though she wasn't sure how that might happen. It seemed like a good idea, though.

All too soon, they were heading out front of the school and bidding farewell to everyone. Mae strangled Begonia and Lisette with more hugs before she finally let them go, and then headed over to stand by the Snapes and Blacks, who were waving along with the other staff. Well, the Blacks, Dinah, and the children were waving. Professor Snape was standing there as stoic as usual, though he did look at least a bit proud to see their students leaving for this event.

Mae exchanged a smile with Dinah, who reached to take her hand and squeeze it as they watched the rest of the students leave, some of the 'favorites' for champion getting followed by little groups of fans as far as the edge of the grounds. Mae was a little frustrated that John Wortham was a 'favorite', the way he had treated Andrew in the past, but at least the more pleasant Ariadne Baker from Gryffindor was also popular, along with Muggle-born Milo Harris from Mae's own house. It would be nice if someone from Ravenclaw brought home the cup, especially if it was a Muggle-born, because Durmstrang had a known prejudice against them.

She bit her lip and squeezed Dinah's hand tighter as she gave Begonia one final wave before she couldn't distinguish her friend from the crowd anymore. She was so excited for them, but she was going to miss them all so much, too. Relaxing her grip, she turned to see if Andrew was still on the front steps or lawn area, but did not see him. He and Arnold must have gone in already.

"Auntie Mae-Mae," a smaller hand poked in-between Mae's and Dinah's, tugging Mae's fingers into her own instead of her mother's, "You're going to stay here with us, right?"

Her heart warmed as she looked down at Maylene, "Yes, I am."

"Uncle Andrew, too?"

She sighed and nodded, "Him too."

"Are you still fighting?" Owen asked, "'Cuz I think 'Tair misses him."

"Um... well, I guess so," she sighed again as she addressed the little boy, "But maybe you can help your brother send him an owl asking him to come visit the Snapes sometimes and read to him. That might be a nice thing to do." Actually, Mae liked that idea. It would get the message across that Andrew needed to be more social with his friends and _she _wouldn't have to be the messenger.

"Okay!" he said, sounding excited at the prospect, "Mum and Papa might have to help though 'cause I can't spell good and then Mr. Andrew won't know what it says."

"Well, that's all right," she smiled, "And I bet Andrew would like to get a letter from you, no matter how the words are spelled." She thought so and she hoped so, anyway. The Andrew from happier times would have been pleased at such a letter she was sure.

"Really?" the little boy asked, eyes wide, "That's cool! Do you think he'd like to see my toy broom too? It can fly a little. Uncle Harry says I'm real good. Aunt Ginny says so too!"

Mae ignored the roll of Professor Snape's eyes at the mention of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley and grinned at Owen, "I bet he'd like to see that very much. _I _would like to see it, too."

"You _would_?" he asked, "I can maybe bring it next time we go to Uncle Sev and Aunt Di's. Uncle Sev doesn't like me to use it too much though 'cause it might knock over his potions and make a mess and maybe hurt us."

"Well, that's very wise of him," Mae said, smiling up at Professor Snape who smirked at her in response, but she just winked at him and turned back to Owen. The little boy's 'Uncle Sev' didn't scare her in the least, "Why don't you bring it next time and we'll find a safe place to look at it that isn't near any of your uncle's potions?"

"Okay! Maybe we can go outside or something. It's maybe too cold for Dara and 'Tair though."

"You know... why don't we _all _do dinner outside tonight?" Dinah suddenly suggested, looking from Mae to her husband and the Blacks, "It could be an early winter picnic, to celebrate everyone going off to Durmstrang."

"Yes!" Owen yelled.

"I think we have to now," Owen's mum smiled, "It sounds like fun."

"Wonderful!" Dinah beamed, "Mae?"

"I'd love to," Mae smiled, looking forward to some socialization. Maybe this year wouldn't be so lonely after all. At least, not extremely lonely. It would always be somewhat lonely without Andrew. But if they made up everything would be okay again.

"Yaaaaaaaaay!" Maylene and Owen cheered, dancing around in the grass together.

"All right. Let's meet out here at dinnertime, then. I'll bring snacks!" Dinah declared, grinning like mad with food on her mind as usual.

Mae laughed. She would try to be as cheerful as she could. And maybe if Owen wrote Andrew a cute enough letter he'd soften up enough to apologize to her.

For the time being, Mae was going to ignore the fact that she should probably apologize to _him _as well.


	28. One Last Letter

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

One Last Letter

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><p>"Now, shall we begin?" Minerva addressed the staff gathered at the table in the faculty lounge during lunchtime Friday afternoon. Severus sat next to his wife and a few seats down from the Blacks, preparing for the staff meeting which would address how they would handle the school now that so many of the older students were gone.<p>

"Cuthbert! Pay attention!" Minerva admonished, turning to Professor Binns who was floating low in his seat and looked to be asleep.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see his wife hide a smile with her hand, always amused at how stern Minerva could be. He cracked a half smile of his own at her reaction and then turned to see that of the ghost. The wispy old man shook his head and woke up in an almost comical fashion, clearing his throat and turning to the headmistress, "I apologize, Minerva."

Severus frowned. If he did not know any better he would say that the ghost situation was getting worse. If tiredness was giving way to mock sleep, then perhaps especially so. But his and Dinah's research, along with Mae's, had not uncovered anything very useful as of yet, and he did not know how much time they had left to get to the bottom of this.

Minerva seemed to be thinking along the same lines as she relaxed her sternness and frowned instead in thought, "I realize that you and the other ghosts are suffering from a mysterious affliction, Cuthbert, but if it is going to affect your behavior in staff meetings and in classes then it might be best for us to find you a temporary replacement or assistant."

"I would rather not," he decided.

"But it may be necessary," she countered, making him give a resigned sigh, "We will vote on it at the end of the meeting. Now, on a different but related subject, as you all know in normal years I would go to Durmstrang with the group of students that departed this morning. However, as we have received a number of threatening or suggestive letters this year, I deemed it necessary to remain at Hogwarts and sent Pomona to Durmstrang in my place along with Eugene Wilkins to teach Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Due to the fact that those two subjects at Durmstrang teach the Dark Arts themselves and we cannot have our students participating in courses that encourage learning such things."

Severus nodded, feeling a mixture of agitation and satisfaction, but mostly agitation, at the headmistress's choice of sending his enemy Eugene. On the one hand, he was glad to be rid of the infernal Potions assistant for the better part of a year. On the other hand, the idea of Eugene teaching the abroad students Defense Against the Dark Arts made him cringe. Yes, when Eugene had assisted him in the subject during his youthening he had been purposefully trying to sabotage Severus's course to buy Gellert Grindelwald more time, but all Severus knew of his behavior when teaching the course was incompetence. He would have to send numerous owls to check up on the course and verify that it was being taught correctly, and he was not looking forward to it.

"Dinah," Minerva turned to address his wife next, "You have arranged to send Pomona your Muggle Studies lesson plans so that she is able to administer them effectively to the students at Durmstrang?"

"Mm. Of course. We have that all sorted out," Dinah agreed, nodding. They, of course, did not teach Muggle Studies at a place like Durmstrang, and so the students who had elected to take the course this year as well as all seventh years, for whom it was required, would need to be taught using a combination of Pomona's limited experience in the subject and Dinah's long-distance lessons. It would have been more ideal to have Grubbly-Plank teach the subject at Durmstrang, but she needed to stay to cover Pomona's Herbology classes and because she had the best experience in taking care of the children when neither he, Dinah, nor the two Black parents were available. It was not often, but she did have to have the children for a small number of hours each week. In fact, she had them right now, he thought, glancing at the corner of the lounge where Wilhelmina was entertaining them with the help of the house elves as the parents participated in the staff meeting. She was close enough to hear and participate in the meeting but would be able to devote attention to the children as well. As she was only a substitute, it was better to have her watch the children so he, Dinah, and the Blacks could devote their full attention to the staff meeting. They had considered having Mae watch the children, but all five of them would probably be too much for someone who was not a parent. Wilhelmina had a grown son as well as grandchildren, and so she had the experience necessary to handle them all at once.

"Good," Minerva was saying, "And you are prepared to take on your role as temporary 'acting' Head of Hufflepuff for Hogwarts students in the interim?"

"Very ready and quite honored, actually," Dinah smiled, "I'm especially looking forward to offering my guidance to the Quidditch team once it's put together and getting to be Sev's rival," she teased, turning her grin now to him, "You just wait until we beat Slytherin."

He could not prevent his snort of derision, "We'll just see about that," he told her smug form. It was not that he doubted his wife's ability to encourage the team, but Hufflepuff was simply not known to perform well in Quidditch, thankfully. His wife would learn that soon enough, so there was no need for him to explain it to her. She was still too happy about having been gifted this appointment to think logically. Besides, Dinah herself was no fierce competitor as a Hufflepuff. She was all about fairness and 'having fun'. That sort of mindset would never lead to a win.

Minerva chuckled, "Well, I am sure you will both enjoy the challenge but let us leave the rivalries behind us for now. We have now covered all we must worry about for what goes on at Durmstrang for the time being, except of course that students there will lose and gain house points as well, which will be reflected in the hourglasses here at Hogwarts. Now, I am _more _concerned with the well-being of our own school. As it is, with the majority of our sixth and seventh years gone and around half of the fifth years, our student population has decreased by nearly thirty percent. That said, some changes in how we manage things will have to be made, and we must also take into consideration the aforementioned letters that have been received. Yes, Filius?"

"Could you summarize the letters again for us, please?" the short-statured head of Ravenclaw squeaked.

"Yes, I was about to. As of now I have received one letter and the Snapes three. The Blacks have received one as well, correct?" she turned to Lucy and Sirius.

"Yes, just the one," Lucy nodded.

"Very good, thank you. Now, we have reason to believe that all of these letters were sent by the same individual or group of individuals, although they have come in varying writing styles and at least one with a 'gift'," Minerva said, going on to describe the letters in detail to the faculty and staff with help from Severus, Dinah, and the Blacks. "Now," she concluded, "As Hogwarts is now biased towards younger students and even small children," she nodded over at Wilhelmina and the offspring, " it is more imperative than ever that we take these threats seriously. We must not allow this person to infiltrate Hogwarts!" she decided, slapping her palm onto the table for good measure and making both Dinah and Lucy smile this time.

"If I may," Horace interjected, "Do you think it wise that we post Auror guards around the outskirts of the castle as we did six years back?"

"I would prefer not," Severus declared before Minerva could answer.

The headmistress turned her stern expression now to him, "I assume your personal prejudices are not coming into that statement, Severus?"

"_No, they are not_," he said through gritted teeth, angry at the suggestion, "If you must bring Potter, bring Potter. However, I do _not_ believe it is necessary. If I thought it was, I would not hesitate to protect my own _children_. But if we post Aurors here I believe these ambitious people may only treat it as more of a challenge and up their efforts. After all, their goal may very well be to start another Wizarding war, whether they are truly capable of it or not."

"Point well taken," she murmured, her gaze at least reflecting some apology, though it did not really satisfy Severus, "In which case, what shall we do? We already have shields up, so I believe we should be impenetrable. But either way, we must be diligent. Especially during times such as Hogsmeade weekends, when the students are off the grounds."

Severus heaved a sigh and leaned back in his seat, reaching to place a hand over Dinah's as they listened to each asinine suggestion in turn. It was frustrating to hear suggestions of extra chaperones, placing Aurors at Hogsmeade, sending letters to the students' parents, when he knew the only real course of action would be to truly get to the bottom of what this person was doing and stop him. But they were still frustratingly far away from that point.

"Yes, Argus?" Minerva asked then the caretaker raised his free hand, Mrs. Norris cradled in his opposite arm as per normal. Severus glanced over at his wife, who had pursed her lips. For her, Filch was as much an enemy as Eugene was to Severus. Perhaps even more so.

"I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet," the irritating squib said to Minerva with an air of self-importance, "Clearly the letters indicate that the main target of these individuals is the _Snapes_, correct? Wouldn't sending them off Hogwarts solve the problem? At least for the time being?"

"_You-_" Dinah began, leaning forward in her seat with a vicious expression.

"Now, now," Severus cut her off, putting a hand on hers again, although the caretaker's words had his blood boiling as well. She backed off at his touch but did not cease snarling at Filch.

"That won't solve anything, just move the problem to a new location," Lucy interjected.

"That is correct, Lucy," Minerva approved, "And our job is to _protect _the Snapes and their small children, Argus. Sending them off Hogwarts would only make them more vulnerable. In addition, we _must _not fight amongst ourselves!" she admonished, "Argus, Dinah, you two simply _must _attempt to get along better. You are colleagues whether you like it or not."

"Hmph. Parselmouth," Filch snorted, folding his arms around his cat and looking away.

"Bastard," Dinah bit out under her breath so only Severus could hear, sitting back in her seat and folding her own arms, and Severus almost smiled. His wife certainly had an attractive fire when the situation suited her.

Minerva heaved a sigh, "Well, many measures have been presented. Let us now put them to a vote before moving on to new subjects."

She did just that, and it _was _decided that no Aurors, but extra chaperones, would accompany the third year and up students on all Hogsmeade trips. It was also decided, and Severus did not know if he approved of this or not, that if the situation escalated much further the students' parents would be sent letters informing them of the potential danger. The problem was that if that happened the press might get ahold of the information, and Severus _truly _did not want Rita Skeeter becoming involved in his family's life again. The way Dinah had not voted in favor of the measure either suggested to him that she felt the same way.

On the positive end, it was also decided that further deliberation on any other measures would hold off until he and Dinah had more information.

Now, the only obstacle was _getting _that information.

* * *

><p>Mae shifted groggily in her bed. She had napped a bit of the afternoon after lunch this Saturday and hadn't yet gotten a chance to look through her squib ancestor's <em>Tall Tales <em>journal, which she had left on her bedside table. This wasn't exactly unusual, though. For the past week she had alternated between moments of research fervor and then collapsed from exhaustion. When she couldn't be with Begonia or Dinah, it seemed all she really had the energy to do was research or sleep, and now with Begonia gone...

Well, at least yesterday had been fun with the Snapes and Blacks at the 'winter picnic', a Snape tradition, or well a Samson one really that Dinah had brought to her husband and passed on to their children. Of course, it was a bit of an early one this year, but late October in Scotland was still quite cold. And Owen had written an adorable letter to Andrew in his and Altair's name. Mae hoped she could find out what her boyfriend's reaction was to it someday.

Well, she should really get up and read, she thought, yawning. Her fingers fumbled on her nightstand for the journal, but she came up short. Poking around some more, she could only feel the hard wood of the table. She sighed, sitting up and then frowning when she saw that somehow the book had fallen onto the floor. Had she knocked it over in her sleep? She wasn't usually that restless.

Leaning over, she reached down to grab it where it had landed upside down open to a page. Turning the book over, the first word that caught her eye was 'ghost'.

Her heart began to race with the very real fear that something was terribly wrong, but she just couldn't place it. Turning her gaze to the top of the page, she began to read:

_Old man from Tribe 2. Reported eccentric and/or mad by other local tribespeople. Claims it is possible to become a ghost without dying. Related to phenomenon of stealing ghost power noted previously? If a living human can steal ghost power to the point where they can float, enter and leave areas without detection, etc... What good or harm could this cause? More information needed, although it is doubtful that the power is real._

"Oh... my..." Mae heard the trembling in her voice more than she felt it. Her feeling was more concentrated on the knots forming in her chest. "It's not possible..." she breathed; "If Ramkin is doing this and can enter or leave a place without-" she gasped as the window began to rattle, jerking her head over to look at it, before feeling a rush of relief when she saw that it was only Alexander with a letter.

Her relief did not last long, though, when it occurred to her that Alexander never rattled against the window. He was too small to create such a ruckus. Instead, he tapped on it with his beak. Mae rushed to stand and go over to open it, not able to think much about anything right now through her fear and worry. Her bird looked stressed, his feathers ruffled in an abnormal manner as he flew in and landed on the bed with the letter, panting his exhaustion.

"What happened to you?" Mae squeaked out, closing the window and sitting next to him, stroking his feathers as she took the letter, and was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of roses.

She let out another squeak, this time without words, as her trembling hands opened the letter. She knew what this was now, and she was terrified. She really should leave her room and go somewhere where there were other people, a little inner voice was telling her, but her curiosities won over.

She unfolded the letter and read:

_Dear Miss Mae Yates,_

_You have had a surprise visitor. I must admit, that _your _interference has been the most unwelcome. A Muggle-born descended from a squib trying to stop us. Just imagine. Your pathetic, magicless ancestor did manage to find out some useful information, didn't he? I did not bank on another having discovered what I discovered before me. I suppose it is because he was a squib that his research was never published. Nor, apparently, did he take that 'old man' from 'Tribe 2' very seriously. How stupid of him. But it is a good thing for me, minus your interference of course. You may be more of a thorn in my side than Severus Snape, and that's saying something for a Mudblood._

_That said, perhaps you would be interested to know that the windows of Ravenclaw Tower are constructed perfectly for a makeshift ghost to enter and exit from. I apologize if my rattling has bothered you. Now that you are alone in a bunk, in a school with a weakened student population, you have many reasons to fear. In fact, the state of the school as it is now is exactly why now is the perfect time for the New Dark Lord to rise. You can tell that to your friends the Snapes._

_Or better yet, would you like to speak with me in person? The site of your 'winter picnic' may make an ideal meeting spot. I'll be waiting._

_Yours,_

_Ambrose Ramkin._

Enough was enough. Shaking with fear and beckoning for Alexander to follow behind her, Mae folded up the letter and ran from the room to go and find the Snapes.

Although she would rather rush into Andrew's arms and never let go.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hooray! Finally, the action starts! Thanks everyone for being patient... I'm trying to get better at writing more concise works but it's still a process for me. Thank you to all my reviewers, followers, and favoriters! And thanks to MRSSPICY for her recent review!**


	29. Panic and the Monster

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Panic and the Monster

* * *

><p>Dinah looked up from her computer as a loud knocking – no, more like a <em>pounding <em>rang out from the other side of Severus's office door.

"Merlin, who in hell is making such a ruckus?" Severus demanded, standing from his chair and leaving Maylene and Tommy to watch over the innocuous potion he had been helping them brew at the dining table. It did not take long after he disappeared into his office to answer the door and see who it was before Mae Yates was rushing into their quarters, her face a white mask of panic as she ran towards Dinah with her adorable Scops owl flying behind her, a brown parchment flopping in the hand that swung at her side.

"Honestly, girl, what is the matter with you?" Severus demanded, following in a hurry behind her, "Have you entirely lost the ability to greet others or ask if they are busy before you barge into their homes?" The statement was more in his surprise than anything, because normally they wouldn't mind Mae just coming in, although this was the first time she'd done so in such a panicked frenzy.

"Youhavetoreadthis!" she rushed out, waving the parchment in front of Dinah's nose, and Dinah drew in a gasp when she caught a strong whiff of rose petals.

"It's not..." she managed, reaching to delicately take the letter that worried Mae so into her fingers.

"I got a letter! Me! And- And he even signed his full name this time! Ambrose Ramkin!"

"You...?" Dinah gasped, her breath quickening as Severus just stared and the children wandered over with nervous expressions to see what was up, "But why you? _How _you? He shouldn't even know that you're helping us!" she managed, trying to get her head around this situation.

"That's the point, just read it! He knows _everything_!" Mae's speech pace slowed down the tiniest bit as she caught her breath, but she still looked terrified.

The expression on her friend's face was enough for Dinah. She set her laptop aside and stood up to read the letter. Each word was more terrible than the last, and when she was finished her heart was like ice. Handing the parchment over to Severus she could only manage to say, in a voice she barely recognized, "He's at Hogwarts."

"What?" Severus snarled the question, not in anger but in shock, grabbing the parchment and letting his gaze rove over it, "Merlin. How? What does this mean? What is he doing?"

"He steals ghost power for _himself_! I found it in my Great-Granddad's notes and I think... I think he was in my room! He's been making windows rattle and he can get in and out of places... he's probably been here since the beginning! That would explain _everythin_g," Mae rationalized, somehow able to keep part of her Ravenclaw logic intact in this moment of hell. Dinah wasn't sure she had that ability herself.

"Wait... this _monster _has been at Hogwarts this entire time? And he's waiting for you on the grounds where we had our picnic... right now?" Dinah managed, pressing a hand to her forehead and trying to undo all the knots in her brain with little success, "I can't process it."

"Mummy. Mummy," A little hand tugged at her robes and she forced herself to stop and look down at Maylene. "What happened?" the little girl asked. With Tommy standing next to her, they both looked so small and helpless. And to think that they had all been sharing Hogwarts with Ambrose Ramkin this entire time... They had thought the children were safe here...

"Maylene, take your brother and go into the kitchen area, but don't leave this room," She instructed, "Stay where me and Daddy and Auntie Mae can see you. We need to have grown-up talk for a little bit. Everything's okay," she tried to remain calm, to not scare the babies. They wouldn't be able to understand, anyway.

"Okay... c'mon, Tommy," she led the small boy away like a good sister, and Dinah was immensely proud of them in the moment. But there was a more pressing concern.

"What makes you say he was in your room?" Severus asked Mae.

"The 'surprise visitor' part, coupled with the fact that I went to sleep for a nap with my great-grandfather's journal on my bedside table and when I woke up it was on the floor open to the exact page where he made the note about the ghost phenomenon. And I've only talked about looking into great-grandfather's research with Begonia! He could only know about it if he had been listening to me directly!" she explained, her hands clutched to her chest and her voice still trembling with fear, though she was much more stable than when she had come in.

"Well, that settles it, you certainly can't bunk alone anymore," Dinah decided, her heart racing with fear for her friend. The idea of Mae getting hurt in any way was too much to bear, "But if he has ghost abilities is he a threat? Can he cause physical harm?"

"I can only assume he can take on and leave the abilities at will," Severus decided, "Because he was able to move and read her book and also pen letters during his time here. He would not make threats if he did not at least believe he was capable of carrying them out. Which is why we have much to fear."

"The monster!" Dinah breathed, still barely processing this. But if Severus said that there was much to fear then it was certainly bad. He may be thinking mostly about the children in that respect, but... "What can we do? How do we protect Mae?"

"He wants her to meet him on the grounds at yesterday's picnic spot..." Severus frowned, "It is too risky for her to go alone, but perhaps if we all went with Minerva we could get to the bottom of this. This discovery must be reported to the headmistress at any rate. But we need to speak with the Blacks first; they must know the potential danger that the children are in."

"Merlin, there was rattling at their window too! The other day!" Dinah gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth at the memory, "I've never been more relieved that we don't have windows here in the dungeons. Yes, we have to tell them right away. The children come first," Dinah nodded, turning to Mae, "Can you go and fetch Headmistress McGonagall? Do you need one of us to come with you?"

Mae shook her head, "I can go alone. It's not far and I have Alexander. Ramkin terrified the poor thing..." she murmured, stroking the feathers of the bird that had remained perched on her shoulder.

"Mm," Dinah murmured, managing a moment of sympathy for the adorable bird, "Then go. And be careful," she said, giving Mae a brief hug before sending her hurrying off. And then a thought occurred to her, "We should owl Minerva in case she isn't in her office at this time. She needs to know what's going on _now_."

"Agreed," Severus replied, summoning over a quill and parchment and handing them to Dinah, "And if we are to face this 'monster' as you call him we should have basic healing potions with us, in the instance of a worst-case scenario."

Dinah's blood ran cold at the words 'worst-case scenario' but she nodded at her wise husband, focusing all of her attention on the letter. It only took a few short minutes for Severus to gather what he needed and for her to summon Rowena and send her off with the note. "We must keep the children with us until they're safe with the Blacks," she murmured, hurrying over to where Maylene sat waiting at one of the dining table chairs with her hands folded on the table. She could be patient when she needed to be, and again Dinah felt proud. "Maylene, Tommy, come – wait," she gasped, looking at the other chairs to see no one, "May, where's your brother?"

"He said he was going with Auntie Mae-Mae to see the monster."

Dinah gasped as Severus drew in a sharp breath next to her. She turned to her husband, "He followed Mae? On his own? It's not safe! Oh, why did I keep saying 'monster'? I thought- I didn't think they would understand, I didn't think at all! And not about Tommy, certainly. I worried about Maylene and Owen, but..."

"Our son's natural curiosities again..." Severus frowned, "And we sometimes forget how much he hears and understands at his age. I doubt Mae even knew he was going with her until he caught up to her. But at least she has him. We must find them immediately."

"What if Ramkin has been trailing her?" Dinah moaned as the thought occurred to her. She reached down to scoop up Maylene, "Hurry, Severus! We can't waste time!"

"Mummy, I'm sorry," Maylene whimpered, turning a tear-filled gaze up to Dinah.

Severus sighed, putting a gentle hand on her head, "You are not in trouble, dear girl. But from now on do not allow your brother to go with anyone else, even your Aunt Mae, unless you ask our permission first."

"Yes, Daddy," she nodded, looking relieved.

"Hurry," Dinah repeated, hugging Maylene to her and taking Severus's hand with her free one, rushing them through the halls until they caught up with Mae and Alexander running towards Minerva's office. Immediately she knew something was wrong. Tommy did not appear to be with her. "Mae!" she exclaimed, letting go of Severus to grab the girl's hand on approach.

"Dinah! Professor Snape!" Mae gasped, stopping and turning to face them, "What are-?"

"Where is Thomas?" Severus interrupted in a voice laced with as much panic as Dinah felt.

"What? Tommy?" Mae gasped, "What do you mean?"

"Did he not come with you? Have you left him with the Blacks?" Severus pushed, his tone taking on an angry note from his worry.

"I- but- he didn't... I haven't seen him."

Dinah's heart dropped into her stomach and she heard a shrill, high-pitched shriek echo through the hallway. She was surprised when she realized that it had come from her; "My baby! Severus! Where is he?"

"I... I can only..." Severus managed through ragged, fearful breaths, "Where would he have gone? Alone? To find...?"

"The picnic spot? The picnic spot! He must be going _there_!" Dinah whimpered, her eyes filling and blurring the image of the terrified Severus and worried and confused Mae in front of her. If she never saw her little Tommy again...

She could just make out Severus's expression grow determined and next thing she know her husband had scooped her and Maylene up into his arms and they had taken off, flying through the halls at a breathtaking speed and leaving Mae behind. Her little girl's hands strangled Dinah's neck as she buried her face in her shoulder for the ride, but Dinah was more worried about the child that wasn't safe in her arms.

The halls of Hogwarts zipped by them in a blur as Dinah kept a tight hold on her husband and daughter, desperately wishing that Apparition was possible in the school. But Severus's flight capability was the best alternative they had and certainly faster than any other option available to get them onto the grounds. Dinah herself had been taking lessons from him from time to time but at this point she was only able to float about an inch above the ground for ten minutes or so, and so she was grateful that her husband was transporting them to their son.

They were taking the most direct route out of the castle from where they had been, and so Dinah kept her eyes sharply peeled for the small form of their son as they passed through the halls, but they did not see him. He was fast and he must be on the grounds already. If Ramkin was there...

Light! Dinah felt a combination of fear and relief as they burst out of the main doors and onto the front grounds, soaring into the sky to be in the best position to scan the grounds for their little boy's location. At first Dinah's chest only twisted in panic as she couldn't see him, but then a small figure through the trees had her screaming, "Tommy!" and pointing at where he was, just approaching the spot where they'd had the picnic yesterday.

Severus was flying down there in less than an instant. By the time they alighted on the ground Tommy had gotten past the tree and was in the clear, grassy spot where they had recently dined. His head shifted back and forth as he looked for his 'monster', but Ramkin was nowhere to be seen and Dinah felt a tiny glimmer of hope, running towards her son with the intent to scoop him up before that horrible mons- terrible man could get his hands on him. She had no idea what Ramkin might do to a helpless little child if he had him in his clutches.

Severus's long strides had him getting to Tommy before Dinah. "Thomas Edward Snape!" he shouted, his voice sounding angry but Dinah knew it was only from the same fear that she felt. As Tommy turned to look up at his father Severus stopped, falling to his knees on the ground and grasping Tommy's shoulders, "Thomas! Do you have _any _idea what you have done? Do you?" he demanded.

Dinah had never heard her husband's voice quite like this as she skidded to a stop next to him and set Maylene gently down on the ground beside her, keeping the child's hand held tight as her heart pounded with relief upon seeing her son safe and in one piece. But Severus's face was twisted in fear and anger as he challenged the boy, who only shook his head in confusion.

"How many times have we told you to _never_ go anywhere on your own without telling us? What do you think you were doing?" he shouted, his jaw clenched and his teeth half bared as he scolded their son, "You do _not _disobey us like this! I do not care how curious you may be! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? _Do _you, Thomas? Never... never... _never _go anywhere on your own again, _do you understand me_?" he shook Tommy's shoulders, his grip on them so tight that his palms had paled to twice their normal whiteness.

"Daddy, you're hurting me," Tommy whimpered, trying to pull back.

Dinah just watched open-mouthed as her husband's expression changed and he jerked back as if slapped, lifting his palms off of Tommy's shoulders as his face went white as a sheet, "No!" he gasped, his gaze shifting quickly from fear and anger to distress, "I... I haven't... Thomas... I... no! I hurt him... I promised myself I wound never- not even once, and yet I-" he gasped, covering his face with his hands and not meeting anyone's gaze, "What have I done?"

"Oh no. Severus!" Dinah gasped, dropping to one knee next to her husband and putting an arm around his shoulders, "Severus, you know it's not like that. Listen to me. It's not like that!"

"No!" her husband refused to look at her, turning his head away from all of them in grief and shame.

"Severus, look at me!" she nearly snapped, but had to make him see that it was not what he thought. That it was going to be all right.

Her husband slowly removed his face from his hands, turning his head to her, the dark brown eyes she loved full of distress, fear, and memories that she still wished she could erase from his past though she knew she never could. "Listen to me," she murmured, cupping his cheek, "You have not hurt our son. Not like that, and not on purpose. He knows you would never do that. He knows how much you love him. Tell him those things. Make it all right."

"I... I can't..." he managed, the shame not leaving his face.

"Yes, you can!" she stressed, "Severus, turn around and talk to your son."

"I..."

"Talk to him!" Dinah would not let the point rest, not now. She gestured to Tommy, who was still watching them with his little face torn in confusion.

Finally, her husband responded, turning his head slowly to face their son and taking a deep breath as Dinah stood back up to watch the scene unfold. "Tommy..." Severus began softly, reaching his hands out to place them gently on the boy's shoulders, seeming encouraged a bit when Tommy did not pull away or even appear nervous at his touch. "I am sorry..." he said, struggling to find the words, "I... did not mean to hurt you. You know... that I love you very much, correct? That I would never... _never _hurt you on purpose? You know that, don't you?"

With the utmost sincerity and trust, Tommy gave a small nod, "Yes, Daddy."

Exhaling with relief, Severus smiled and nodded, "Come here," he murmured, pulling their son into a tight hug, his eyes closing in relief at having the boy back with them, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Tommy replied, wrapping his arms around Severus's neck as Dinah's heart warmed. Both of her boys would be all right.

"Mummy..." a tug on her robes had Dinah turning away from the still-embracing Severus and Tommy to look down at little Maylene whose brow was furrowed in worry, "Mummy, what's wrong with Daddy?"

"Oh..." Dinah sighed, reaching down to stroke her daughter's hair with a little smile, "It's all right. Don't worry. You'll understand when you're older."

"Maylene," Severus decided, drawing back from Tommy only slightly to offer his hand to their daughter, who took it and allowed herself to be wrapped in the hug as well as Severus looked up at Dinah.

She came forward and knelt to encircle her arms around her family, leaning in to kiss her darling husband's lips as a thought occurred to her. It had really been in the back of her mind from the beginning, but only now that this distress had died down slightly did it become clear. She sighed and pressed her forehead to Severus's at the sad thought, but met his gaze nonetheless, "They can't stay here," she murmured, knowing that it was true.

He frowned slightly, taking in her words, before sighing and nodding, his gaze shifting down a bit as the sadness of the thought hit him as well. But he nodded and returned his eyes to hers, "We'll discuss it later, with the Blacks."

"Okay..." she agreed, nodding back at him, "With the Blacks. But not this very moment."

"No," he shook his head in full agreement, "Not this very moment."

Yes. This very moment, all that either one of them wanted to do was stay here together with their little family, holding onto each other where it was still safe and sound and they could be with each other, warm and happy. And as they closed their eyes and hugged each other and their children tight again, that was just what they did.


	30. A Difficult Decision

**A/N: Hello everybody! Thank you so much for all of your favorites, reviews, and interest thus far! I just wanted to let you know that following this chapter this story, as well as most of my other work, will go on temporary hiatus as life gets a little hectic in the coming months. I may return as early as January or as late as June, but I will most definitely be back to finish this up and hope you will all stick around and be ready to read again when chapter reposting continues. Again, thank you so much for everything up till now! You guys are great! :)**

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><p>CHAPTER THIRTY<p>

A Difficult Decision

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><p>Severus waited, keeping Thomas secure in his arms as Dinah rapped on the Blacks' door. After the incident with the boy earlier, Severus did not want to let him go quite yet, and Tommy seemed inclined to stay where he was, so it worked out well for the time being.<p>

He glanced down to make sure that Maylene was still safe as well, his little girl clutching the hand of her older aunt as they waited to be invited inside. Shortly after the incident with Tommy, Mae had rushed out to them with Minerva in tow, relieved that the boy was safe as she had been terrified and searching all over the school with the headmistress before they came out to the designated spot. Both Severus and Dinah had been grateful for her concern, and after assuring Mae that they were not upset for her not having known about Thomas's attempt to 'follow' her, although he had gone somewhere completely different, they had all shifted to discussing the situation at hand.

Not much had been decided as of yet, but it was clear that inviting Mae out to the picnic spot had been nothing more than toying with her, and they still had no idea where Ramkin was in the school or what he was doing. Minerva had ordered Mae to stay with Dinah and Severus for the time being while she discussed the situation with the rest of the faculty. Everyone was to convene for a meeting in the headmistress's office once they had sorted out the scenario of the children with the Blacks, which was what they were going to do now.

"Oh!" Lucy gasped with a grin when she opened the door, holding Dara, "Hello. Well, we weren't expecting everyone to come over but that's okay we can make a party of it."

Before they could respond, little Altair toddled out with a book and tugged on Mae and Severus's robes in turn.

A twinge of regret filled Severus's chest as he put a hand on the small boy's ginger head. It would not be the same if they had to do this, he thought as he shook his head, "I'm sorry, my boy. Not today."

"No..." Mae sighed, exchanging a sad glance with Dinah.

The little boy's face crumpled, unused to people not wanting to read to him.

"It's all right, baby," Lucy said, pushing some hair off his forehead, "Maybe later," turning her face back to the Snapes, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Dinah closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. Severus reached over to take her hand, keeping her warm fingers enclosed in his as she gave him a grateful smile and a little squeeze in return. "We need to talk inside," Dinah told her friend, "Right now. It's very important."

"Oh… all right," Lucy frowned, backing up to let the other family in.

Severus seated himself and Thomas next to his wife on the sofa as Dinah pulled Maylene into her lap and wrapped her arms around the little girl, resting her chin on top of the child's silky black hair. Mae sat on the last cushion and offered Altair a small smile, patting her knee in invitation.

Altair instantly clambered up into her lap, still holding his book but not asking for it to be read this time.

Lucy sat down next to Sirius, still cuddling Adara, and Owen came over to Maylene. "Why does everybody look sad?"

"It's 'cuz of the monster," Maylene told her small friend with solemn authority, and Severus had to reach over and stroke her hair briefly, thoughts of bereavement filling his head. Before having children, he had never imagined he could care for any young one as much as he did his own and these others. But he did, and parting from them was going to be more painful than he could have imagined for most of his life. The tears he saw shining in Dinah's eyes as she placed her hand over his and entwined their fingers together told him she felt similarly. "Only they said it's not really a monster. It's a bad man," his daughter continued her explanation.

Dinah sighed, looking at Lucy, "It's true. We've made a terrible, erroneous assumption, and because of it the little ones could be in grave danger. It turns out, Ambrose Ramkin is in Hogwarts. He has been this entire time."

Lucy gasped and quickly glanced at her husband, a little bit of panic evident in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "Everything's apparently changed since we saw you last."

"It's my fault," Mae decided, so surprisingly that Severus gave her a look.

"What do you mean, 'your fault'?" Dinah demanded, fiercely protective of her friend as she had been lately during Mae's difficult times, "It's not your fault; how can it be anyone's fault?"

"Uh... well, I don't really mean 'fault' exactly," Mae explained, her cheeks flushing a bit, "I just didn't want them to blame you for any of this. You see," she said, turning back to the Blacks, "What happened was that I received a letter from Ramkin. Professor McGonagall has it now so I can't show you, but... I had been looking into my great-grandfather's notes – you know, Raymond Scrump? – on the ghost phenomenon, and he had discovered something about an ability for humans to usurp ghost power for themselves. He didn't take it seriously which is why it was buried so deep in his notes and I hadn't found it by now, but that's what Ramkin has done. He can turn himself into a ghost. It's how he's been here without detection for so long. We would have known sooner had I just looked earlier into great-granddad's notes..."

"Oh, well, you couldn't have known," Lucy offered, holding Adara a little tighter, causing the baby to fuss. "It's no one's fault."

"Daddy," Tommy said, standing up in Severus's lap and turning to look at him, "Dara not happy."

Looking at his son, Severus again recalled the scene from earlier and the boy's unwavering trust in him no matter what happened. It had been a very... affirming moment and one which he was still grateful for. He hugged the boy close and looked over his shoulder at Lucy, "It is imperative that the children not be alone from this point forward. Adara must not even be allowed to nap alone in her nursery. The rattling windows – including the one you had here the other day - they were from Ramkin's ghost form spying on us. It is how he has been able to know things he should not, like of your 'interference' and our visit to the Malfoys and Mae's research activities."

"Of course, of course," Lucy nodded, "but… we have to work… Grubbly-Plank… five children…"

Dinah shook her head, her fingers moving to stroke Maylene's hair, "Severus and I have thought about it. We just can't do that. We can't ask that of Wilhelmina and it's still not safe here regardless. Especially if Ramkin tries to challenge us in some way like his letters indicate he may. But his main target should be Hogwarts, given that he waited until the students were almost half gone to make his move, so if..." she trailed, her eyes filling again as she looked down at Maylene and sighed, finishing in a soft tone, "We were thinking their grandparents' would be a safe place. At least until this all blows over."

"Oh," Lucy murmured, hugging the still-fussing Dara a little more, "Yes, that's probably best, but…"

"They'll be safe with Molly and Arthur," Sirius assured, his arms going around her shoulders, "You know that."

Dinah nodded, "I thought so. It has to come to this, but I'm determined to resolve this as soon as possible so they can all come home. To think..." she shook her head, "All this time we've been saying 'Hogwarts is the safest place for them', and this whole time we've been so terribly, terribly wrong..." she finished on a whisper, hugging Maylene and reaching to strangle Severus's hand.

"We have to go away?" Owen asked, looking from his parents to Maylene.

"I think for a little visit... maybe...?" Maylene shrugged, looking so confused it almost tore Severus's heart out as he strangled Dinah's hand right back. It had not taken long for Owen to figure out that something was amiss, and he did not know how they were going to explain things to the children, to explain why they had to do this.

"Are we going together?" the little boy asked his friend.

"I don't know... Mummy? Daddy?" she turned to them.

"You may... I don't..." Severus managed, glancing at Dinah who shrugged in confusion, until her gaze grew determined and she turned back to Lucy.

"I bet if we wrote our owls to our families together we could arrange – somehow – for my parents and your aunt and uncle to coordinate visits between the children from time to time. It can't be frequent, I'm sure, but I bet it could be done. They'd just miss each other so if we didn't..."

"I'm sure Uncle Arthur would love to spend time with Muggles," Lucy said, managing a little smile, "and I think it'd be good for the children to see each other at least a couple times… keep everything as normal as we can."

"Mm," Dinah nodded, "Then let's do that."

"It would be best," Severus agreed, thinking that he didn't mind his children dealing with Weasleys if it meant they could be with the friends that made them happy. Parting with them, though... it was going to be more difficult than he could even imagine, he was sure.

"I'm sure they'd like that," Mae Yates decided, rejoining the conversation, "And maybe it won't be for long. After all, I'm going to be helping out too. He's after me anyway, or he's included me in his 'threats' list, so there's no reason for me not to throw myself into this wholeheartedly."

"Oh..." Dinah sighed, nodding and placing a hand on their friend's shoulder, "Thank you. But I wish your involvement wasn't forced like this. I truly do."

Severus came to a decision then, about something that had been hovering in the back of his mind ever since Mae had received the letter and brought it to them in her distress. And now seemed like the best time to take care of said decision. After this afternoon's scare with Thomas he did not know that he wished to stay and listen to talk about sending the children away any more just now. He stood up, "Dinah, you, Mae, and the Blacks sort out notes to the Weasleys and your parents and finish discussing the details of this situation. There is something that I must attend to in the dungeons," he said, not lying but purposefully keeping his statement misleading. It needed to be misleading, for now.

"What do you have to do? Fetch something?" Dinah asked, her brow furrowing as she looked up at him.

He reluctantly released his son, placing him into his mother's lap, and shook his head, "You shall see when I return," he told her, leaning over to kiss her forehead, followed by the foreheads of the two young ones. Stepping back, he placed a hand on Owen's shoulder for good measure before turning to leave.

"All right," Dinah decided behind him, "Be careful!"

He stopped, turning to regard his dearest wife and offering her a smile and a nod, struck again by this difference between how people reacted when he was surrounded by danger now versus how they had during the previous wars. The school was, perhaps, filled with threats again as it had been in the past, but now his position was quite different. Now there were those who cared what happened to him, and those that he cared for more than he had anyone else before in his life. Such a change it was.

"Yes, be careful," Lucy seconded, "Should Sirius go with you? I know you're capable of defending yourself, but…"

He considered the kind offer, but shook his head, "This is something I must do alone. Again, you will all understand when I return."

"All right," Lucy nodded, "Good luck."

He gave the room another brief nod before spinning to leave, keeping his eyes peeled for danger and his senses open as he walked through the halls, but everything appeared calm for the time being. As stated, he did indeed head down to the dungeons, but he did _not _go into his office or his home. No, he continued on past them, down a stretch of long hallway which dimmed as he approached the lake and took on a slight green ambience.

He stopped in front of a familiar wall, and uttered the password that he was privileged to know as the head of his House, "Basilisk Venom." Quite sinister still, it was true, but at least it was an improvement over 'Pureblood'.

The wall opened and he took his next steps with authority, over the threshold and into the Slytherin common room, its black and green furniture reminiscent of his school days and the windows in the distance revealing the depths of the lake where the giant squid was floating by. The view was impressive, and he had at least twice taken Dinah down to show her during the summer months, so they could enjoy it together as she liked that sort of thing. But today he was not here for enjoyment as he stared down the shocked gazes of the small first-years studying at a table and trailed his gaze back over to a sofa where a familiar boy sat gaping at him, "Fitzgerald!"

"Professor Snape!" Arnold gasped, slapping his book shut and looking around, surprised at both Severus's sudden intrusion and at being called out like this.

"I am looking for Andrew Speasy. _Get him_," Severus ordered, not in the mood to waste time.

"Uh... y-yessir!" Andrew's friend exclaimed, hopping up from his seat and hurrying over towards the location of the dormitories. Severus had to admit it was as satisfying as it always had been to strike fear into the hearts of the students, even the ones in his own house. His relationship with them was quite different than his with his children, niece, and nephews. He enjoyed the dichotomy.

Of course, his relationship with Andrew Speasy was yet another different thing still, and he was glad when he caught sight of Arnold returning, pulling the other boy along with him.

"Professor Snape?" Andrew questioned, looking confused as he approached him, "What is going on?"

"I thought it necessary to inform you that your girlfriend, or at least I assume you still consider her as such, has gotten involved in something quite serious and may be in danger."

"What?" That got through to the boy, whose eyes, so often red and irritated with his allergies, went wide in surprise and fear, "Mae is in danger? Why? How? What's going on? I just got a letter yesterday from the Black children, but..."

"Yes, yes, that is not important at this time," Severus waved the notion off. There would be no time for reading to Altair at any rate if they were shipping the poor things off to their temporary abodes tonight. No, that request would have to be put on hold for the time being, "The circumstances yesterday were not what they are today. This afternoon we came upon some new information that changes everything. And if you are a man you will step up and ensure that Mae is not forced to face down this threat on her own."

"Of course I'm a man! I won't let anything happen to Mae!" he said fiercely, "But what _threat_? Why haven't I heard of this before? What has she been doing that could make her anyone's target?"

Severus sighed, recalling that Andrew had been unaware of the research Mae had been doing for them as of late, "It seems there is much I have to explain. Shall we do so in a more private location? Although I imagine these others will be finding out the details soon enough," he said, gesturing to Arnold Fitzgerald and the other students in the common room who had been staring at them during their conversation. Actually, Severus expected an announcement to be made at dinner as well as a boatload of letters to be sent out to parents this evening, based upon decisions which had been made at yesterday's staff meeting.

"Anywhere you want," Andrew decided, and Severus was pleased at his attitude. He hadn't really expected much less of his young friend, but it was good to see. The fight between the two had gone on long enough, especially now that there was something more important to contend with.


End file.
